Photo by Al Nardo

A not-so-bold prediction from these pages is that the idiosyncratic approach toward indie pop songwriting by Nate Amos is going to become a huge influence on the alternative music landscape in the years to come. We’re already experiencing it in real time. Formerly the Brooklyn underground’s best kept secret, he and Water From Your Eyes bandmate Rachel Brown are blowing up in the greater culture at large behind the recent release of their excellent new album, It’s A Beautiful Place, to the point where a good chunk of their calendar in the New Year is booked up opening for alternative scene queen Hayley Williams.

Let’s not forget that on his own accord (or is it chord?,) Amos’ solo songwriting work as This Is Lorelei is the reason why Waxahatchee’s Katie Crutchfield covers his music live in front of amphitheater’s worth of audiences, MJ Lenderman brings Amos and his band out on tour with his, and — hmm, some of those new Snocaps tunes recorded by the Crutchfield sisters and Lenderman sure do sound like Box for Buddy, Box for Star had been top of mind when they hit record.

For those still taking notes to copy on his band’s sprawling Bandcamp discography, he’s making it easy to do in releasing Holo Boy, a collection of early This Is Lorelei tracks re-recorded for modern times. Its first second look, “Name the Band”, is either — depending on your vantage point in arriving to the party — indie-pop perfection you already knew was there, or are now just being hit with. Equal parts sharp, electric jolts and supercharged hooks that keep your world going in the red, those stars springing from your head are what happens when This Is Lorelei messes you up with just a simplistic, yet singular spin on pop music.

This Is Lorelei’s Holo Boy will be released December 12th on Double Double Whammy.