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Oct 14, 2019 By Christopher Roberts Little Scream

Little Scream (aka Laurel Sprengelmeyer) is releasing a new album, Speed Queen, on October 25 via Merge. Now she has shared another song from the album, “One Lost Time.” Listen below.

Sprengelmeyer had this to say about the song in a press release:

“On Columbus Day and Canadian Thanksgiving, I wanted to explain why I chose to mention the indigenous territories that Speed Queen was recorded on. I am fortunate enough to live in a community where land acknowledgements have become so common that there is skepticism about their value. Many indigenous people point out that they let settler culture off the hook by offering a means of lip service without action. I take this to heart. There is a difference between truth and reconciliation. And mentioning a truth is far from reconciling it.

“I acknowledge this, and yet I still included mention of these places by name in my album credits. It’s a small and imperfect gesture towards truth.

“I know that my record is going to go to many different places. Places like my hometown in the American Midwest where acknowledging the indigenous history of the land isn’t commonplace. Places in Europe that don’t have the same history of settler culture, and who might not think about the implications of it in North America. Even the act of writing the acknowledgement forced me to sit down and educate myself about the most basic histories of Montreal, the Ottawa region, and Vancouver Island. It got me closer to thinking about the privileges I’ve had living and working on this land. It didn’t get me closer to figuring out what reconciliation might look like. But it did get me closer to knowing I will support it however I can.”

Pick up Under the Radar’s current print issue (the My Favorite Album Issue) to read Sprengelmeyer’s essay on her all-time favorite album.

Previously Sprengelmeyer shared Speed Queen‘s first single, “Dear Leader,” via a lyric video for the protest track (it was one of our Songs if the Week). Then she shared its second single, “Still Life.” That was followed by “Disco Ball.”

Speed Queen is the follow-up to 2016’s Cult Following. The “Dear Leader” lyric video featured cameos from The National, Arcade Fire, Superchunk, Holly Miranda, Leif Vollebekk, Mélissa Laveaux, and more.

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