Daily Dose: V.V. Lightbody, “Baby, Honestly”

Daily Dose is your daily source for the song you absolutely, positively need to hear every day. Curated by the Paste Music Team.

Self-proclaimed “nap rock” singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist V.V. Lightbody (given name: Vivian McConnell) has released a new single, less than a year after making her debut with Bathing Peach. It’s the first step in a big year for the solo artist, who has more new music on the way in 2019 via Nashville’s Acrophase Records.

“‘Baby, Honestly’ is my ‘snake-in-the-grass’ song that explores what sinning feels like as a chronic people pleaser,” McConnell explains in a statement. “I wrote it at a time where I didn’t want to do what people expected of me anymore. Putting myself before others felt like the first ‘sin,’ followed by stretching the truth and admitting that I was bored by a lover’s interests. ‘Baby, Honestly’ is appropriately two-faced: biting lyrics hidden beneath a lush and charming soundscape.” Biting, lush and charming is right: “Baby, Honestly” finds McConnell recalling, “I used to care about things you cared about,” cooing over stuttering, bossa nova-esque instrumentation.

McConnell is a prominent part of Chicago’s tight-knit DIY scene, with ties to Santah, Grandkids, Accessory (Jason Balla of NE-HI and Dehd), Slow Mass, Rose Hotel and Lala Lala. A few of those acts landed on our fall 2018 list of Chicago bands you need to hear, but it’s clear V.V. Lightbody is an act to watch in her own right.

Listen to “Baby, Honestly” below, and find V.V. Lightbody’s 2018 Daytrotter Session and tour dates further down.