eggcorn - Observer Effect / Solo Party single
The observer effect describes the phenomenon in which the act of observing changes that which is being observed. Bay Area artist, eggcorn uses the observer effect as the foundation for her vivid album by the same name. Taking an incisive look at the power that we have over ourselves and those around us, Observer Effect explores the inevitable ways in which we alter our own experience through reflection.
eggcorn is the moniker for songwriter Lara Hoffman, who released her first single in 2020 as a conscious step forward into her career in music, which until then had largely been used as a therapeutic tool. With her new album, Hoffman preserves the vulnerability of her self-reflection while crystallizing her insights into infectious hooks that make the most nuanced realizations understandable. Observer Effect pivots from the synth-based, electronic realm of eggcorn’s first album Your Own True Love to pop-tinged chamber folk that deftly cushions the uncomfortable truths laid bare within each song. Observer Effect is not an easy record and Hoffman spares no one, not even herself. A music therapist with experience working in psychiatric facilities, she possesses the ability to hold herself as accountable as she does those around her, to ask herself why she feels the way she feels, and to push the boundaries of songwriting into an uncommon dimension.
The album’s opener and title track Observer Effect followed by its partner Solo Party dive headfirst into the complexities of the human psyche. The pair of songs took shape within the weeks of prescribed inactivity Hoffman experienced after breaking a bone in her left foot.
“As someone who depends on physical movement, particularly running, for maintaining mental health, I was struggling with being unable to run and spent a lot of time ruminating, watching shows and movies, playing guitar, and googling how to maximize bone regrowth,” Hoffman describes. She was obsessed with what would heal her, what would hinder her, and flirted with the idea that vices that hurt the body, such as smoking and drinking, could be less harmful than self-flagellation and even help by improving her mood. It was here that, while placing herself under intense self-scrutiny, she became fascinated by the idea of the observer effect.
“The study chose the focus and the scientists can’t factor in my unique neuroses,” Hoffman sings amidst an orchestral palette which carries her insights into whimsical realms. She dances through open-window car rides, old memories, fun house mirrors, appreciating the small pleasures of life before stumbling upon the song’s cathartic climax: “I am dying to be altered through your observation!” Suddenly the inevitable collaboration between the observer and the observed is not something to be feared, but a part of life to be celebrated.
In contrast, "Solo Party" pushes Hoffman to reconcile with being alone, leading her to explore her relationship with past selves. She watches old videos, imagines reconvening with exes, and attempts to understand how time has changed her and what that change means. In the end she reckons with the part she has to play in her narrative: “Is it just surviving?/Have I learned anything?/Seeking an asylum/saying I’ve gone crazy” Lilting and gentle, the song casts doubt on Hoffman’s self growth while offering a soft, yet productive place for those doubts to live.
Observer Effect marks Hoffman’s first time collaborating and recording with a full band, in contrast with the production of her first album Your Own True Love, which she performed and recorded on her own save for parts from her partner and bass player for eggcorn, Kyle Stringer. Still, she had a heavy hand in crafting this record, tracking the more intimate songs at home and composing some of the string parts before bringing them to her bandmates Ali Gummess (violin) and Karen Moran (viola). The remainder of the album was recorded by Peter Craft at his studio, Boxer Lodge and Alex Doolittle at his home, each playing drums on the respective songs they recorded. Swelling into symphonic rock, “Phorest” features lush string arrangements by Gummess and Moran and poignant cameos from Brian Mello (lead guitar) and Ben Tudor (upright bass). Each musician adds their unique touch while arriving at exciting destinations through playing live and experimenting together. From there, Hoffman worked with acclaimed mixing engineer Maryam Qudus, who had previously mixed eggcorn’s song, “London.”
“I’ve always felt very protective of my songwriting. It feels very private and sacred and I’ve been scared to have other people influence the process but this has been rewarding both interpersonally and artistically,” Hoffman says of collaborating.
Still, the music of eggcorn feels immensely personal, Hoffman’s vulnerabilities laid bare but boldly so as she invites us into a world full of truths that are somehow both singular and universal. We’ve all found ourselves questioning our relationships with loneliness, wondering how we can hold both good and bad within ourselves at once, buzzing with the warmth of a new and novel crush, and pondering the significance that our own actions can have on our world around us. Despite the depth of eggcorn’s music, the album remains buoyant, benefiting from a playfulness perhaps best exemplified by the charming couplet in "Solo Party": “everyone likes guacamole/the real test is can you be lonely?” In such a way Hoffman is able to alternate between the complex and the simple, often boiling down her thought spirals into a phrase so simple as “I’m sorry” or “be kind.” Ever fascinated by philosophy and psychology, Observer Effect is no stranger to heady moments, but always finds a way to ground the listener back down into a place that is familiar.
UPCOMING LIVE DATES
March 28th // Sacramento, CA // Press Club
March 29th // El Cerrito, CA // Little Hill Lounge
April 11th // Napa, CA // Folklore
