Lillian King’s debut album In Your Long Shadow is out October 24th. It is about letting the wind in, Lake Michigan in the winter, and the silence of a long summer evening. And really it’s about the grief of losing her dad, Neil King Jr.
When her dad died in September 2024, grief permeated every facet of Lillian’s life. The loss is felt in everything, but especially when doing the things her dad loved the most –– the simple everyday good things that make life worth living: cooking, walking the longer way to work, swimming in cold water. In the throes of grief it feels impossible to find anything that doesn’t just make you sadder, but when Lillian did find those things, she grabbed onto them. Soon it was clear that the best coping mechanisms weren't gin and tonics, but talking to her mom and sister as much as possible, and producing an album.
The album arrangement came together in a couple of weeks as Lillian brought bandmates and friends Robert Salazar and Nick DePrey new and old songs to build on. Robert played the drums, while Nick played keys (with a smattering of bass and guitar). The process was collaborative and intimate, and only got better when Jack Henry (producer of albums by Friko and Free Range) joined to record and mix it.
Some of the songs on this album are years old, including “Underwater”, which Lillian wrote one late night in Montreal a decade ago. However, most came together in the months approaching recording.“Dragging Dirt” was written just a week before getting into the studio. Despite the bummer material, the recording process was spontaneous and light hearted. The song “Echo” came together unexpectedly during a break between songs.
In the midst of recording In Your Long Shadow, Lillian had concerns about making a “grief album.” Her sister Frances, as usual, had the right advice: “Every album from now on is going to be a grief album.” In Your Long Shadow is about loss as much as it is about living with it. Take it outside on a walk.
From Spencer Krug, founder of Pronounced Kroog:
I first met Lillian in June of 2024, when she joined me on tour to open for a short run of solo shows. We became fast friends, and my appreciation for her songs grew as I listened to her perform them each night with nothing but an acoustic guitar and her singular voice. By the end of the tour, I told Lillian if she ever made a full-length album, Pronounced Kroog would be interested in putting out. A year later, here we are.
To date, Pronounced Kroog has only released projects revolving around my own music. I created the label simply to get my own work into the world, with no intention of signing outside artists. It wasn’t an idea I took seriously before hearing Lillian’s music. Now, Pronounced Kroog is proud to announce the release of “In Your Long Shadow,” to play a part in its delivery to the ears of all those who don’t yet know they’re fans, and to have Lillian King be the first-ever non-Krug project on the label.
I have warned Lillian that we are not a big label, but assured her that we’ll do the best we can. For some generous reason, she’s good with that.
Packaging Notes
140 gram black vinyl in a 20 pt jacket and printed inner sleeve.
Track Listing
Dragging Dirt
Shadow
Echo
Tiber Creek
Nothing
Voice in Headphones
Context
God Knows
Underwater
Context II
Credits
Lillian King – acoustic guitar, vocals
Nick DePrey – keys, electric guitar, bass
Robert Salazar – drums
Ted Collins – upright bass on “Tiber Creek”
Bailey Minzenberger – bass on “Underwater” and “Context II”
All songs by Lillian King, except “Voice in Headphones” by Phil Elverum
Recorded and mixed by Jack Henry at Fox Hall in Chicago
Produced by Lillian King and Jack Henry
Mastered by Harris Newman at Greymarket Mastering
Cover painting by Lydia Farro
Illustrations and layout by Kirsten Southwell