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Nov 23, 2021 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Sarah Baniak

Chicago psychedelic soul outfit Late Nite Laundry was just beginning to build momentum prior to the pandemic, releasing their debut EP in 2019 before COVID forced some radical restructuring. The band’s former lead single left the band and the rest forged ahead as a quartet, recording virtually and releasing a string of singles over the past two years. Today they’re back with their latest effort, “Back of My Head,” premiering early with Under the Radar.

“Back of My Head” departs from the jazz-tinged psych of the band’s latest singles, instead finding them drifting through an elliptical dreamy reverie. Guitarist Ari Lindo and bassist Emily Burlew share vocal duties, repeating the titular lines like an inescapable mantra: “Right there in the back of my head / I can not escape you / Right there in the back of my head / I can not erase you.” The band ambles through the song’s persistent repeating melody, breaking the track’s spell only when they launch into expansive instrumental breaks. The result encapsulates the outfit’s psychedelic soul moniker, sporting the otherworldly allure of psychedelia and the lovingly arranged instrumental beauty of soul.

As Lindo explains, “‘Back of My Head’ is one of our oldest songs. It’s about the feeling you get when you start to see the inevitable end of a relationship. Specifically, the neurotic thought patterns that begin to arise when you’re aware the end is nearing. It’s about when knowing the longer you drag it out, the harder it will ultimately be to leave, despite all your efforts to fight for what you once believed was worth saving.“ Check out the song below.