Hard-won sobriety has its advantages, especially when it’s practiced as a couple. For Lapêche’s Dave and Krista Holly Diem, clearing their heads has equated to clearing the creative decks, allowing them to explore new sonic vistas with a renewed clarity and focus. The subversively melodic Autotelic (Tiny Engines) overhauls their rugged Brooklyn DIY aesthetic with lethally precise rhythms and power chords, airtight excursions into ramped-up shoegaze and synth-washed art rock, and shimmery shades of female-fronted college rock. This time, they have ample help from producer Alex Newport (At The Drive-In, Mars Volta), tracking the album in Joshua Tree, Calif., with guitarists Drew DeMaio and new drummer Colin Brooks (Samiam).
“Named for the idea of doing something for its own sake, Autotelic places process, persistence and emotional honesty over outcome,” says the couple. “The songs favor restraint, repetition and space, inviting listeners to remain inside the motion rather than search for answers.”
The Diems offer more sobering observations below.
—Hobart Rowland
1) “Autotelic Nosebleed”
“The title track introduces the album’s core idea: staying present without attachment to outcome. Built around repetition and forward motion, the song reflects a practice rather than a statement. It’s about trusting process over results and finding freedom inside that commitment.”
2) “Double Knotted”
“This one centers on grounding yourself amid emotional motion. Instead of chasing control or resolution, the song leans into persistence. Its hypnotic rhythm mirrors the feeling of being held together beneath the surface, rather than defined by turbulence.”
3) “I Heart NY”
“This song explores a long, complicated relationship with a place that both shapes and drains you. There’s devotion here, but also fatigue. It captures the intimacy of being tethered to something that may no longer be sustainable.”
4) “Happy 4U”
“Written after years of fertility struggles, ‘Happy 4U’ sits at the intersection of joy and grief. Its upbeat pulse contrasts its subject matter, holding space for being genuinely happy for someone else while carrying private loss. It’s not bitterness—it’s honesty.”
5) “The Alien Dove”
“Written in response to the unexpected passing of a child of close friends the band was lucky to know, “The Alien Dove” holds grief with tenderness rather than urgency. Using space as metaphor, the song reflects on love, patience and care, hovering between mourning and wonder. It expands outward, offering quiet presence instead of answers.”
6) “Parallel Park”
“This is about recognizing when you can no longer move alongside someone. The song traces emotional and physical fatigue, but also resolve. It accepts imperfect forward motion as a form of survival.”
7) “When Are You From”
“This track questions authenticity and presence in a culture built on delay and self-erasure. It asks where we locate ourselves emotionally and spiritually. The repeated invitations feel like quiet instructions for self-trust.”
8) “Monsoon”
“‘Monsoon’ captures the moment when disruption forces clarity. The song weighs safety against risk, asking whether to stay with the herd or aim the heart homeward. It frames upheaval as a necessary turning point.”
9) “First Time Caller”
“At its core, this song interrogates the cost of comfort. It reflects on dependency, competition and shared identity. There’s vulnerability in naming the need for help—and strength in asking for it.”
10) “Phantom Of Cinder”
“The closing track lingers in impermanence, exploring the tension between presence and overwhelm—and the limits of holding everything at once. The album ends without resolution, choosing acceptance instead.”
