Things are looking brighter for Lovelorn on new single “Reason”

Philly-rooted, Austin-based synthpop duo Lovelorn can be, at varying points, cold and caustic; their Deep Breaths EP from last year was minimal and bleak, channeling the skittish electro-punk of Suicide’s first record.

Their debut LP What’s Yr Damage is due out this August on 6131 Records, and with each single that drops, the band seems to open up. Following up on “Sickness Reward” and “Around You,” their latest pre-release track “Reason” brims with beauty as much as uncertainty.

The song’s brisk pulse and soaring synth atmosphere recall like-minded techno-punks Cold Cave, while Anna Troxell’s soaring voice is reminiscent of Chromatics’ Ruth Radelet. She sings about love, distance, and anxiety, with Pat Troxell joining in on the “I don’t know why” refrain. It might seem brooding, but the song’s overall direction (similar to the Blanketflowers song we heard yesterday) skews towards a hopeful outcome.

Listen to “Reason” below and pre-order What’s Yr Damage here.