Out 17 April, 2026
Via Fearless Records
Words by: CECILIA PATTISON-LEVI
LØLØ (aka Lauren Mandel) is the 28-year-old Toronto-based pop-punk and rock musician who has been causing a sensation in the pop-punk world since her early EP releases and one of 2024’s best albums: the fabulous Falling For Robots And Wishing I Was One. LØLØ is known for music that is raw with honesty, has compelling storytelling in her lyrical writing and a sense of humour. She has been a rising musical star in the pop-punk genre both in recording and in her live performances over the last few years. So, I am a bit of a fan!
Her new 12-track album God Forbid A Girl Spits Out Her Feelings is a more intimate, immediate and stripped-back. There are no divergent flights of fancy, this new record is more diaristic and intensely personal and heartbreak is the central driver in the lyrical narrative. The album opens with the emotional intent of the title track God Forbid A Girl Spits Out Her Feelings! where the acoustic guitar and poetry are going to be our guides as we are about to take a ‘relentless‘ ride into ‘healing‘ as we deal with others bad ‘intentions‘. Me With No Shirt On is about abuse of a carriage service (in Australian law) as it warns not to send sexy pictures over yourself on your phone especially if the person does not feel the same as you – all to lovely lilting acoustic guitar melodies, gentle drum beats and floating vocals. Then, Dumbest Girl In The World is absolute banger about being stupid in relationships. The issue is the ‘architect of embarrassment‘ and you can hear the personal experience of heartbreak in this song
This whole album is about love and its consequences with acoustic guitar riffs and melodies. The condition being: ‘shitty kisses‘, the wrong bad boy, worries about being alone, accepting second best and doing stupid things to avoid these problems. Hung Up On U is a traditional love song about a crush but its unrequited. Delusional Darling concerns the inability to see red flags when in love or just stupidity in ignorance as she laments being the ‘poster girl of stupidity‘ digging her own ‘grave‘ as she ‘cuts out my eyes‘ so you can’t see all the signs. The Punisher is about a ‘playlist‘ ex and cheater boyfriend that is being stalked: creepy but funny!
The acoustic guitar-based melodies on this album are really good and when moved into the electric guitar like on 007 are fantastic, smooth and clever pop-rock. 007 is about being ‘onto you baby‘ as the love interest is a cheat and unfaithful. The following song The Devil Wears Converse is a pop-punk anthem about the irresistible temptation of a ‘pretty monster‘ who ruins your better judgment. And, God Forbid A Girl Spits Out Her Feelings is concerned with Stuff Like That as you reach for the Whiskey & Coke – both of these songs are real album highlights where the darkness cuts through.
The unhinged pop-punk love song American Zombie is an intoxicating, destructive, experience of falling for someone who is emotionally unavailable or ‘half-dead inside’. It is followed by Boy Who Doesn’t Want To that closes the album with the portrait of the male who is ‘never, ever going to change‘ and love won’t help, nor will ‘crushing 100 spiders‘… The path to insanity is lined with false hope as ‘snow doesn’t fall in August‘.
All of these 12 songs share a quiet desperation and vulnerability, paired with sharp and witty lyrical writing while still full of a gritty and alternative-rock energy and edge – it’s just sounds very nice. But don’t let that lyrical and melodic instrumentation fool you, its cutting and brutal underneath: ‘no revenge just metaphors‘.
