ALICE PHOEBE LOU PLUCKS “OLD SHADOWS” FROM ITS HIDING PLACE
June 27, 2025 BY Bailey Vigliaturo
In her third single of the year, singer-songwriter Alice Phoebe Lou has released the assertively delicate piano ballad “Old Shadows.” Continuing to open her treasure trove of tucked away storytelling from the last decade, the cinematic new song is simple while still so intricately impactful. She showcases the strength and the softness of her voice as she feels overcrowded by the past. While listening, it’s hard to not feel as if you’re sitting alone in the parlor being serenaded by Alice herself, shutting out the rest of the world — Stream.
“I dug this one out of the vault of songs I wrote in my twenties that felt too personal and sincere to see the light of day,” Lou recollects. “When I took it out of its hiding place and played around with it, I felt such a deep sense of love and care for my younger self and all she was going through when she wrote this song. It’s the age-old tale of struggling to receive real love after so much hurt and confusion. Recognizing the shadows of past painful loves that haunt you and admitting to yourself how hard it is to get used to being loved and accepted and treated well. It’s been beautiful to come back to this song and relive the moment that I understood my worth and accepted someone’s love and care.”
From this personal library of previously unheard music, Lou also released “You and I” and “The Surface” over the last few months. These are her first-ever self-produced releases, ushering in an era hallmarked by stripped-back instrumentation that allows her storytelling to take the forefront.
In the Spring, Lou also played 3 sold-out nights at The Lodge Room in Los Angeles before joining Remi Wolf at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Now wrapping up her European tour after playing magical sold-out shows across the continent, she is getting ready to come back to North America for a run of shows with her other musical endeavor strongboi, in support of Men I Trust. In 2024, Lou toured alongside Clairoon the strikingly intimate Charm Tour with headline shows of her own mixed in. See all upcoming dates here.
