Virginia-born, LA-based multidisciplinary artist Kate Bollinger is back today with “What’s This About (La La La La),” the baroque-styled opener from her long awaited kaleidoscopic debut album Songs From A Thousand Frames Of Mind, due September 27th on Ghostly International. The new track follows previously-released album previews “To Your Own Devices” and “Any Day Now,” and finds Bollinger conjuring a sense of cartoonish whimsy that places her in league with the mystical pop greats of the Elephant 6 Collective, a scene whose idiosyncratic spin on the classic rock era helped inform the patchwork sprawl of her record.

Of “What’s This About (La La La La),” Bollinger says “This was one of those songs that arrived in my head fully formed, kind of like it was delivered to me by someone else, and as its conduit I banged around on guitar trying to find where the chords were. It’s sort of an ode to Of Montreal’s Cherry Peel and Apples in Stereo’s Tone Soul Evolution.”

Inspired by pop, rock, and folk songs of the 1960s, Bollinger and her band — including collaborators Jacob Grissom, Adam Brisbin, Matthew E. White, and Sam Evian — favor the eclectic, melodic, and majestic, supporting intimate, stream-of-consciousness lyricism with classic instrumentation. It’s a collection of pop songs, polished yet scrappy with an underlying punk spirit, navigating life, relationships, and growing up. Casting a collage-like vision that’s instantly memorable and uniquely mystifying, Songs From A Thousand Frames Of Mind can feel like flipping through your coolest friend’s record collection, finding a new favorite song with each discovery.

Armed with endless hooks and wildly shifting textures, Bollinger can seem as much like a songwriter as an art-house auteur, crafting the soundtrack and scenery for a non-existent movie. Bollinger studied film in college, and recently directed the striking music video for Jessica Pratt’s single “World on a String.” Fittingly Bollinger always has a hand in her visuals, and often envisions them as the songs themselves take shape.

Written during a period of transience and change, Songs From A Thousand Frames Of Mind was made to resemble a mixtape—something carefully crafted and delivered from just one person to another. In sharing this music with listeners, Bollinger took inspiration from her own formative encounters with art: quietly worshiping the early musical projects of her older brothers, attending local shows in Charlottesville and feeling empowered to write songs of her own, inheriting burned CDs from older classmates and finding a portal to another world. (Working with her friends Emma Collins and Evangeline Neuhart on the visual accompaniment, Bollinger assures the entire project feels equally communal and intuitive.) Sublimating a lifetime’s worth of musical connections into a concise 11 songs, Songs From A Thousand Frames Of Mind captures a rare sense of purpose and ambition for a debut record, managing to feel cozily familiar while still packed full of surprises. And in her gently playful and emotionally resonant performances, Bollinger sounds as enraptured by the mystery as anyone.

FALL NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES        

10/5 – Boulder CO – eTown Hall

10/7 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th St Entry        

10/8 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall 

10/10 – Toronto, ON – Longboat Hall

10/11 – Montreal, QC – Petit Campus

10/12 – Boston, MA – Arts at The Armory

10/13 – Brattleboro, VT – Stone Church

10/16 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg

10/17 – Philadelphia, PA – Ukie Club

10/18 – Washington, DC – Black Cat

10/19 – Charlottesville, VA – The Southern        

10/21 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle (Back Room)

10/22 – Asheville, NC – Eulogy

10/24 – Atlanta, GA – The Earl

10/25 – Nashville, TN – Third Man

10/26 – St Louis, MO – Off Broadway

10/28 – Fayetteville, AR – George’s Majestic Lounge

10/29 – Oklahoma City, OK – Resonant Head

10/30 – Denton, TX – Rubber Gloves

11/12 – Santa Cruz, CA – Catalyst Atrium        

11/14 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom

11/15 – Seattle, WA – Madame Lou’s

11/16 – Vancouver, BC – Fortune Sound Club

11/20 – Sacramento, CA – Starlet Room

11/21 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent

11/22 – Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom        

Photo Courtesy: Gilles O’Kane