An enchanting, immersive, and utterly inspiring song off their third LP ‘Body’, Transviolet’s “How Lucky” is an uplifting alt-pop ode to life’s beauty and wonder, reminding us that the lows are worth the highs. Some of those magic moments really do last a lifetime.
Stream: “How Lucky” – Transviolet
How many things have I missed worried ’bout disasters that never happened? I was talking to the silence, it said ‘look what’s waiting for you’…. how lucky…
Life is beautiful, magical, and full of wonder, but we don’t spend nearly enough time focusing on that.
Instead, our energy and attention are more often dedicated to everyday minutiae – the pressing matters at hand, the needs of the now, the tasks giving us anxiety, and whatever other thoughts and unfinished business are on our minds, looming over our heads. Life in this mindset is a constant, nonstop ball of stress, and it’s all too easy to fall into that unforgiving and unrelenting cycle. Even writing these words, I’ve somehow managed to stress myself out.
Throughout history, we humans have turned to art for inspiration and guidance – to get us out of these toxic mindsets and open us up to the wonders of the world. Like so many artists before them, Transviolet have today gifted the public a song that speaks to that magic spark. Enchanting, immersive, and utterly inspiring, “How Lucky” is an uplifting alt-pop ode to life’s raw beauty reminding us that the lows are worth the highs.
Some of those magic moments really do last a lifetime.
wild ivy flowing
overgrown through the chainlink
california poppies
painting hills over the concrete
windows catching sky
in the cotton candy buildings
there’s a swing up in the hills
overlooking the whole city and it’s
waiting for you, waiting for you
how lucky… how lucky
Atwood Magazine is proud to be premiering “How Lucky,” the final single and focus track taken off Transviolet’s upcoming third album, BODY (out March 31, 2023). A longtime favorite and one of Atwood‘s 2020 artist to watch, Transviolet are trailblazers: The Los Angeles and San Diego-based band currently comprised of Sarah McTaggart, Judah McCarthy, and Michael Panek have made an indelible imprint on the indie scene over the past decade, melding pop and alternative influences into a singular sonic identity that has carried them triumphantly through two acclaimed studio albums, a litany of national headline and support tours, performances spots at some of the world’s biggest music festivals, performances on late-night and daytime television, and so much more.
“How Lucky” arrives at the tail end of a year-long campaign that saw the band release seven singles off their upcoming album, including the glistening anthem “Naive,” the sonically charged “Supernatural,” and the hypnotic “Hot AF,” a stunning electro-forward collaboration with Robert DeLong. “How Lucky” is a spirited, sweetly soaring addition to this mix – one that captures Transviolet at their best, both musically and emotionally.
McTaggart revels in a moment of euphoria, her golden voice glowing over a bright, ethereal glaze of silken synths, driving drums, and buoyant bass. Tapped into her very own ephemeral nirvana, she sings, “How many things have I missed, worried ’bout disasters that never happened? I was talking to the silence, it said, look what’s waiting for you… how lucky.”
“‘How Lucky’ was inspired by a walk with one of my closest friends,” McTaggart tells Atwood Magazine. “I actually wrote it the day after I wrote ‘Hot AF.’ Robert DeLong lives very close to her, so the evening after the ‘Hot AF’ session, I hit her up and stopped by her place. We were taking a hike around her neighborhood, and I felt this overwhelming sense of gratitude while taking in the beautiful summer scenery. It was July in LA and there were wildflowers painting the hills all around us. We found a swing that overlooked the whole city and it was this idyllic moment as the sunset cast a rose colored glow on the skyscrapers below.”
“We didn’t know at the moment, but that was the last time we’d take that walk together – she’d move out of state a few months later. I still cherish that small moment we shared together, and am reminded never to take anything for granted – we never know how long these moments will last.”
How lucky.
How lucky are we to be alive in this moment in time. How lucky are we to know the ones we know, to love the ones we love, live the lives we lead, to breathe in this air and to be here, right now. How lucky.
Having captured the fleeting bliss of that special shared moment in the song’s first verse, McTaggart spills her soul in the second verse – this time diving inward on an intimate exploration of emotion and psyche. “In these brilliant moments, I can’t help but stop and think, does the heavy dark let me feel the light more deeply?” she philosophizes. “‘Cause it’s all led up to this, and for a moment I am happy here with you.”
In the age-old “is it better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all” debate, we reckon McTaggart is all-in on the side of love. We are, too. If we must experience tremendous loss and hardship in order to ultimately experience love and nirvana and fulfillment, and those are the cards we’ve been dealt, then so be it: We accept the terms and conditions, and will stick around to play this game out to the end.
yeah I know the sting
the cruel touch of tragedy
but in these brilliant moments
I can’t help but stop and think
does the heavy dark
let me feel the light more deeply
cause it’s all led up to this
and for a moment i am happy
here with you, here with you
how lucky, how lucky
how many things have I missed
worried bout disasters that never happened
I was talking to the silence it said
look what’s waiting for you
For Transviolet – who amicably parted ways with founding member, drummer, and producer Jon Garcia last August – their new album marks the dawn of a bold new chapter for the band. As McTaggart herself recently hinted at on Atwood Magazine‘s Tunes & Tumblers podcast, BODY finds her at her rawest and most vulnerable – brutally honest and unapologetically exposed, owning her truths, her physical and emotional body, and confronting not only her demons, but also the very lens through which she views the world.
“The initial spark of what would ultimately become BODY happened during a shroom trip in February 2021,” she explains. “It was actually a pretty miserable trip, and I was resisting with everything I had almost the entire time. When I finally stopped resisting and sat with the monsters I was running from, I discovered entire universes inside of me. With my eyes closed, sitting cross legged next to a pond, I watched in amazement at how many stories, characters, and worlds my body contained. Some were terribly dark and painful, others full of joy and vibrance, but they were all beautiful in their own way. The trip ended and I was still processing the experience for weeks, but I got very curious about these worlds and characters that lived inside me. I found that even in waking life, I could still find them when I dropped into my body and paid attention to how I felt, so I began to incorporate this into my writing process.”
“This album is the sound of tapping into those physical feelings. Each day in the studio, I would pinpoint where the feeling lived in my body and assign it colors, shapes, and textures. Almost naturally, melodies, words and chords would take shape around it. For instance, ‘DESTROY DESTROY DESTROY’ started as a tight, vice-like feeling in my solar plexus that erupted into a sharp, fiery warmth that spread up my chest, throat and face. Almost immediately, the title came to me, and I could hear the notes and underlying chords of the production. I sat down at the piano to show producer Rob Auerbach. As he and the band worked on fleshing out the instrumentals, the lyrics came very easily to me, and I did very little editing. Each song worked like this. I’d feel a feeling, let the song take shape around it, and get the band and producer on the same page emotionally by describing situations the song felt like (i.e. the ‘DESTROY DESTROY DESTROY’ production feels like revenge, or the anger you feel in your throat that makes you want to cry and scream at the same time).”
“Each time I went through this process, I felt more safe and grounded in my body. This was a new experience for me, because for a long time, because of trauma I’d endured, my body didn’t feel like a safe place. This album is the sound of me not only finding safety in my body, but also finding grief, rage, power, playfulness, joy, love and gratitude there too. We wanted to stay true to the “BODY” theme throughout the album, so like a body, each song is connected, flowing into the next. There were many times I doubted how a song would fit with the others, or how Mike (bandmate/producer) would create an interlude between two songs, but he always made it work. As we started conceptualizing the album visuals, creative director Taylor Lewis had the brilliant idea of assigning each song a symbol that would later be incorporated in the album artwork as a temporary tattoo on the body part where it originated. We worked with graphic designer/illustrator Fundie Biela (aka Angel Miranda) in creating the symbols. The photo shoot was something I was really nervous about, because usually shoots stir up all kinds of body image issues, and although I love being naked, I had qualms about being so naked and vulnerable in front of a camera. But, thanks to Taylor, and assistant Mackenzie Brassfield, it turned out to be an incredibly healing experience, and I’m really grateful to have these photos to encapsulate a time where I feel very empowered and comfortable in my own skin.”
I’m really grateful to have these photos to encapsulate a time where I feel very empowered and comfortable in my own skin.
BODY is Transviolet’s most progressive, empowering, and forward-thinking release yet.
It’s a musical and emotional triumph for the California band, and one that is sure to further an already influential legacy. As its latest and final teaser track, “How Lucky” highlights everything there is to love about its forthcoming parent album. Stream Transviolet’s euphoric and dreamy new single exclusively on Atwood Magazine, and pre-save BODY here!
Transviolet’s highly anticipated third LP is out everywhere March 31.
how lucky… how lucky
how lucky… how lucky
yeah I know the sting
the cruel touch of tragedy
but in these brilliant moments
I can’t help but stop and think
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Stream: “How Lucky” – Transviolet
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