The sound of the band known as Lovers is one that feels like the logical extension of the raw punk and rock that came out of the Riot Grrrl movement in the ’90s, even though they sound nothing like their forebears. Instead, these three women embrace the sound of disco and pop, turning the romantic yearnings that sidle through the warm synth drawls and skip-step beats into statements of sexual empowerment and political truth.
The trio are hitting the road for the next two months to bring their powerful and danceable sound to the entire U.S. But before they did singer Carolyn Berk was kind enough to offer up a touching remembrance of the first album that changed her life.
I think the first album I remember responding to in a very visceral way is probably Green, by R.E.M. And particularly I remember the song “You Are The Everything” really touching my heart and being very transformative, as honest and courageous art can be.
I was probably about 15 or 16, my mother had recently died. It was not by any means an easy or peaceful passing, and my father and brother and I had all turned very inward. I remember being in high school, and my father would go to sleep and I would stay up alone in the kitchen and sing that song.
There was also that song, “The Wrong Child,” which expanded my consciousness by being both so vulnerable and so empathetic. The expression of gender on that album felt very real to me, and I was desperate for realness, alone in the cold and motherless suburbs. That album was maybe my first cathartic experience.
