Lydia Loveless’ last LP Daughter came out during the height of COVID lockdown, and since then Lydia ended a longterm relationship, returned to her home state of Ohio, and really hit reset on their life. “I was starting completely over post Covid,” they say. “I was so lost and aimless. I had to write my way out of it.” The result is Nothing’s Gonna Stand In My Way Again, which finds Lydia marching onwards through melancholy, grit, humor, and some remarkably catchy heartland rock songs.
To give us a deeper dive into the inspiration behind these songs, Lydia made us a list of influences, including Paul Westerberg (of The Replacements), The Pretenders, Drive-By Truckers, and more, and some non-music picks as well. Read on for the list, with commentary on each pick…
Indigo de Souza
Her lyrics are insanely spot on for me. It’s like she’s in my head. Then she blends distorted rock with dreamy pop beats so perfectly. It’s like her music was created just for me.
The Pretenders
The guitar work on this record was heavily influenced by them. I really wanted to make a point to have every little riff count, overtop a lush base of acoustics on most of the songs.
Paul Westerberg
I mean, duh. Every record I make references him, but for songs like “Runaway” and “French Restaurant” he was living in my head.
Drive-By Truckers
They’ve always been a huge influence, but I did two solo tours with them while writing this record. I got really inspired on those little outings and wrote roughly half the songs on the road with them. Watching them go so hard onstage every night is so encouraging to me.
Ohio
I had lived away in North Carolina for five years or so. I came back in 2021 to southern Ohio to do an audio engineering program called the Recording Workshop for five weeks and though the situation was fairly bleak and difficult at times it reminded me of how beautiful Ohio can actually be. I would sit and watch the sunset and get all gross and nostalgic and write songs at night.
Heartache
My long term relationship dissolved. I was starting completely over post Covid. I had been through some really traumatic family events. I was an absolute wreck for a long, long time. I was so lost and aimless. I had to write my way out of it.
Secret Studio
My friend Amy Turn Sharp told me she wanted to open this magical recording studio/salon in 2019 when I was working on [2020’s] Daughter. Obviously it was put on hold by the pandemic, but when I came back to Ohio she’d give me the keys and let me play the piano and write as long as I wanted. It saved me to have that place to hide away and cry and create and learn.
Romance
I’ve decided to solidly lean into the fact that romance will always be inspiring to me. I know there are bigger issues in the world than love but I can’t help it, it’s a huge part of who I am and what drives me.
Friendship
I developed a lot of deeper bonds with my friends over the last two years. I realized I didn’t have to isolate myself or feel afraid to be vulnerable outside of romantic relationships. It has broadened my capacity to feel, express myself and love myself and others, and my art has only benefited from that.
Laughter
No matter what is going on, I can usually find something to laugh about. I try to inject at least a little humor into my songs most of the time. I love when people say “I feel bad for laughing at (insert lyric here) because it’s such a sad song,” but I always get excited to when someone catches the joke amidst the tears.
My band
I’ve made a point to build a solid musical relationship with people who are good, creative weirdos. We’ve all been through hell separately and together in the last few years. We’re tough as nails and also we are big softies. I love sharing my music with them and seeing their reactions. Sometimes it’s excitement and sometimes it’s “what are we supposed to do with this?” There is so much laughter and emotion in working on a new record with them. This was the most fun we’ve ever had making a record while also being the most intense and thoughtful writing process we’ve ever been through. I adore them.
