Lala Lala — Does This Go Faster？

JUL 01 2025 · 12:00

Lala Lala — Does This Go Faster？ (2025) Director: Jackson James Era: Mid-2020s Indie Art Pop (2025) - Post-pandemic indie renaissance marked by label-debut momentum; Lala Lala's first release on Sub Pop Records, signaling a career inflection point in Chicago-rooted indie songwriting. High curatorial value as the debut visual document of Lala Lala's Sub Pop era, directed by an Emmy-nominated Chicago filmmaker whose documentary background inflects the video with a restrained, atmospheric quality uncommon in mainstream music video production. The quantitative metrics — notably the sepia warmth, low brightness, fast editorial rhythm, and suppressed motion — make this an ideal case study for archival research into 2020s indie art pop visual grammar. Preserves a pivotal career moment for one of Chicago's most critically regarded independent artists. Context: Released October 15, 2025 as Lala Lala's debut single on Sub Pop Records following years on Hardly Art, 'Does This Go Faster?' marks a significant career transition for Lillie West. The song was written in Iceland during a period of deliberate personal upheaval — West having spent two years living nomadically with her belongings in storage — and its existential lyrical themes of displacement, impermanence, and post-hedonistic reckoning ('Hell is the day after the party') resonate strongly with millennial and Gen Z indie audiences navigating post-pandemic uncertainty. The single is also Lala Lala's first vocal track since 2023, following a 2024 instrumental album, making its arrival a notable re-emergence. Its sepia-toned, low-light visual aesthetic and introspective register position it squarely within the mid-2020s indie art pop tradition that prizes emotional authenticity and cinematic restraint. Director notes: Confirmed director of the 'Does This Go Faster?' music video, released October 15, 2025, concurrent with Lala Lala's signing announcement to Sub Pop Records. The video serves as the debut visual for the artist's first Sub Pop single. Quantitative metrics suggest a restrained, sepia-toned, low-brightness visual approach consistent with James's documentary-influenced cinematography background — prioritizing atmosphere and mood over performance spectacle. The fast editing pace (avg. shot length 2.38s across 83 scene changes) contrasts with the low in-frame motion score (3.98), suggesting editorial dynamism built from still or slow-moving compositions rather than kinetic camera work.