Lili Refrain is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and performer based in Rome, Italy. Born in 2007, the solo project “Lili Refrain” operates with electric guitar, voice, percussion and synthesizers, overlaying them in real time through loop stations. The atmosphere she evokes covers a wide sonic range that combines minimalist, folk, psychedelic, blues, metal and opera textures, without using any computers or pre-recorded tracks. Her songs are embedded with ritual energies and her live performances are a cathartic experience capable of leading the listener into an unforgettable act beyond the boundaries of any genre.
Considered by many to be a true revelation, Lili Refrain has announced today her sixth studio record, Nagalite, a suite comprised of four movements – four alchemical states of an imaginary serpentine metamorphosis, a practice of transformation that crosses the body, memory, and the historical time we inhabit. A sonic reflection that speaks of us, in an era where wars return to burn and horror becomes normalized, dissolving into background noise. Amidst this darkness, the serpent becomes an act of love: the possibility to change, to shed the skin that hurts, to refuse the repetition of suffering. “Nagalite is an invitation to remember this. To transform not only to save ourselves, but to rediscover the thread of love that binds us to all that exists,” says Lili Refrain. Entirely written, performed and executed by Lili Refrain, “Nagalite” is built through real-time looping using voice, guitar, bass, synth, floor tom, bass drum and drum machine. It was recorded, mixed and mastered at 16th Cellar Studio in Rome by Stefano Morabito.
With the announcement, comes the record’s first single, “Nagal”, the beating heart of Lili Refrain’s new record – a tribal trance that weaves together acoustic and electronic pulses, Mediterranean and choral voices, sinuous guitars, and a rhythmic build-up that unfolds like a ritual of transformation. It is a song of metamorphosis: an energy that crawls, rises, coils, and finally releases. It is accompanied by a short film written by Lili Refrain and directed by Carlo Settembrini. “Nagal is inspired by the ancient Sanskrit Naga, a sacred serpent symbolizing deep wisdom and transformation. This visual piece explores light and shadow through symbolic imagery, guiding a primal figure from emergence and knowledge to purification and unity with life’s deeper mysteries,” she says.
Nagalite will be released on march 27th via Subsound Records. Pre-orders are now available here.
