lylyly (pronounced lē-lē-lē, spelled without capitalization) is an emotionally charged, visually involved, genre blending music project. Their songs range from scrappy grunge-influenced growlers to theatrical piano and string quartet ballads, with so many sounds and songs in between.  The band is centered around founding member, multi-disciplinary artist, Emily Mineo. Along with each of lylyly’s musical releases, comes a new painting, created by Mineo, as the cover art. Watching the visual art progress behind the scenes, via the band’s social media pages, is a fan favorite. Another standout quality of the outfit is the full-tilt presence of Mineo’s voice as front-person; it both stretches to its rasping limits and glides sweetly and melancholic, creating a powerful, emotionally vulnerable and connected experience for listeners. Mineo (vocals, guitar), is joined by core lineup, Josh Zenker (bass) and Jared Williams (drums), and works in collaboration with local Philadelphia favorites, singer-songwriter Sophie Coran (piano), and songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Frankie DeRosa of TheBandIvory (brass, strings), helping to sculpt lylyly's motley sound.

When compared to other artists, it usually takes a few dissimilar examples before a close cocktail is reached: Kate Bush in the B-52s; Amanda Palmer meets X-Ray Spex, Regina Spektor writing for Yeah Yeah Yeahs. A creative match for the genius lyricism of Max Bemis of Say Anything, lylyly transforms emotionally provocative imagery of singer-songwriter style with the “self-destructive nature” of rock n’ roll energy.  Experimenting with cross-genre electric guitars while leaving the emotional space for achingly soft ballads, lylyly creates in service of lyrical intent over categorical cohesiveness. With a dash of anti-folk quirk, fans of the band enjoy their full-spectrum sound of acoustic meets electric meets “beauty punk” meets garage-rock. Music venues, such as Philadelphia’s World Cafe Live, Ortlieb’s, Bourbon & Branch, and many DIY spaces across the Northeastern United States have hosted lylyly while they have created a supportive fan base and honed a unique sound and recognizable identity within their music scene. 

The band has recorded its soon-to-be released eponymous first album at Rittenhouse Soundworks, Forge Recording Studios, and Dos Gatos Studio. lylyly is set to release “No Sleep,” the fourth single from their upcoming album, on all streaming platforms, September 29, 2020. “No Sleep” is a fierce guitar anthem for those feeling unseen or left behind by the people or system’s they’ve trusted. The full album, a collection of seven songs which demonstrate the group's confessional, singer-songwriter roots in the context of both raw garage-rock and sparse orchestral arrangements, will debut to stream on digital services and be available to buy on vinyl on October 2, 2020.