Lael Neale directs and stars in the official video for “Acquainted With Night,” the title track from her new album, which is available today worldwide from Sub Pop.
 
Neale says: “‘Acquainted With Night’ is another homemade video that explores my complex relationship with technology. I am drawn to archaic machines, but that doesn’t mean I want to slip backwards into some idealized past. I’m more interested in stepping out of time entirely.”

Acquainted With Night features ten tracks, and includes the previously released standouts “Blue Vein,” “Every Star Shivers in the Dark,” “For No One For Now,” and the aforementioned title track. The album was composed and arranged by Neale, produced and mixed by Guy Blakeslee, and mastered by Chris Coady.
 
Acquainted With Night has seen international praise from the likes of MOJO, who in its 4-star review, raved, “Who knew the world was lacking a country-folk version of Broadcast until now?” France’s Télérama said, “Stripped of frills, young Lael Neale sings the starry nights of her native Virginia. With grace and grit. And the soul of an old bluesman. Lael Neale confirms her talent with an intense second album.” Meanwhile Uncut in its feature on Acquainted With Night, offered this, “A thing of shimmering beauty, led by Neale’s otherworldly voice with its shades of Vashti Bunyan and Julia Holter.”
 
Neale and producer Blakeslee, recently performed songs for FLOOD Magazine’s “Neighborhood Sessions,” who says, “The pair took turns filming each other perform their new tracks—appropriately shot with grainy, camcorder-esque quality—on a farm in the area where Neale grew up. The back-to-back solo guitar performances of Neale’s “Blue Vein” and Blakeslee’s album opener “Sometimes” prove just how much musical chemistry the two share (see FLOOD February 16th, 2021).”
 
Acquainted with Night is now available through Sub Pop. LPs purchased through megamart.subpop.com, select independent retailers in North America, in the U.K., and in Europe will receive the album on white vinyl (while supplies last). *Please note: Due to production issues online LP orders will ship at a later date this spring (exact date TBD).

What people are saying about Lael Neale:
“With her Omnichord, the singer/songwriter exposes the nerve endings of her songs.” -  ★★★★★ - Musikexpress

“This album reminds listeners that life is full of beauty not in spite of, but because of, the ordinary details of every day.” - 8/10, Loud & Quiet

“Stripped of frills, young Lael Neale sings the starry nights of her native Virginia. With grace and grit. And the soul of an old bluesman. Lael Neale confirms her talent with an intense second album.” - ffff, Télérama
 
“With a celestial voice stripped of any artifice, Lael Neale skillfully blends romance and the banality of life with brilliant songs of drama and humor.” - Les Inrocks
 
“…Like Mazzy Star with an Omnichord.” [“Every Star…”] - Uncut
 
“…an intimate, lo-fi set of songs that seem unearthed from the dusty vaults of time.” - ★★★★ The Forty Five
 
“…stunning album…Neale is an extraordinary, precise and original writer, with a distinct voice in every sense. Get acquainted.” - Shindig!
 
“…There is a raw, unvarnished energy screaming throughout these 10 tunes.” - 8/10, Northern Transmissions
 
“Lael Neale’s second album weaves intimacy with dreamy, Omnichordal magic.” - Secret Meeting
 
“Why We’re Excited: A little serendipity never hurt anyone, and it seems to be the very thing songwriter Lael Neale needed. In this case, that stroke of fortune was a friend loaning Neale an omnichord. That loan led the recent Sub Pop signee to tap into a wellspring of inspiration that directly led to her upcoming album, Acquainted with Night. With three singles, including the gorgeous “Blue Vein”, to judge from, we can only hope that Neale’s friend let her keep that omnichord. They’re a perfect match.” [40 Most Anticipated Albums of 2021] - Consequence of Sound
 
“The grandeur of the organ tones, joined by a tinny drum machine, give it a similar feel to Beach House’s more recent albums.”  [“Every Star Shivers in the Dark”] - Brooklyn Vegan
 
“Against a beat and organ based tones, Neale belts the vocals out like she’s singing to anyone who will listen. Her voice echoes like a ringing bell or alarm, the simplicity of the song’s structure works with her voice as the catalyst.”  [“Every Star Shivers in the Dark”] - Closed Captioned
 
“…Lael taps into something universal, city or country, that we all long for, connection…and if you find the time to listen to Lael’s music, you’ll find plenty to love as well.”[ “Every Star Shivers in the Dark”/“Five Things We Liked This Week”] - For the Rabbits
 
“An absorbing two-chord hymnal” [“Every Star Shivers in the Dark”] - Joyzine
 
“‘Every Star Shivers in the Dark’ is far more reflective in its delivery, there is an undeniably optimistic undertone and a dreaminess liberally sprinkled throughout. It brings a crescendo of twinkling key changes at the end of the track which linger long in the mind like the last rays of sunshine on the perfect Summer day.” - Still Listening
 
“Neale impressed us with ‘Every Star Shivers In The Dark,’…she’s back with another new track, the entrancing “For No One For Now.’ Like Neale’s prior single, this one is minimal and reflective while maintaining a strong backbeat. But rather than build to a cathartic breakthrough, ‘For No One For Now’ lingers in the unresolved tension, less a song than an atmosphere to exist inside.” - Stereogum
 
“‘For No One For Now’ was inspired by Joan Didion’s imagery of the San Fernando Valley, but recrafted beautifully through Neale’s poetic songwriting and Omnichord instrumental.” - PASTE
 
“‘For No One For Now’ is deceptively simple and strangely haunting and hypnotic.” [#1/ “Song of the Week”] - Under the Radar

Lael Neale

Acquainted With Night
                                                           
Tracklisting:
1. Blue Vein   
2. Every Star Shivers in the Dark 
3. Acquainted with Night    
4. White Wings      
5. How Far Is It to the Grave         
6. For No One For Now      
7. Sliding Doors & Warm Summer Roses          
8. Third Floor Window       
9. Let Me Live by the Side of the Road   
10. Some Sunny Day