All posts by Anji

Echoes Reviews Falling You ‘Metanoia’ CD

Echoes Radio host John Diliberto has chosen Falling You’s new album, Metanoia, as the CD of the Month for March 2026. Not only will it be featured on the nationally syndicated program tomorrow night (Monday 3/2/26), but there is also a lovely review posted on the site.

Echoes March CD of the Month: ‘Metanoia’ by Falling You. Brush up on your Greek mythology when we journey from the ancient to the future with Falling You’s deliriously beautiful and poignant remaking of ancient, archetypal myths as searing dream pop.

Of the track that Ryan and Anji Lum contributed lyrics, vocals, instruments, and production to, Diliberto said:

The album ends with the third epic track, “Philomena,” named for the Christian martyr. It’s a tale which illustrates that Catholics could match Greek and Roman mythological legends in fantastical tales. Vocalist Anji Lum turns it into a fable of strength over adversity with Ryan Lum dropping-in ambient guitar textures and reverberant, blues-laced accents. It’s a track that ends the album as strong as it began.

Continue reading Echoes Reviews Falling You ‘Metanoia’ CD

Absynth Reviews “Secrets” Single

Music writer Karl Magi posted a lovely review of the duo’s latest single, “Secrets,” on the Absynth site. It reads, in part:

Lovespirals’ “Secrets” explores complexity and hurt within relationships. The song commences with levitating guitar strumming as Anji Lum’s whispery voice traces wordlessly through the music. Soon she begins to sing, her airy, fragile tones drifting smoothly while carrying a melody that mingles ache with approaching loss. The guitar returns as hushed drums brush softly across the track, the bass adding lush underpinnings beneath the delicate strumming. A floating synth moves through the music with disembodied grace…

Check out the full review of “Secrets,” which includes an embed of the lyric visualizer video, on Absyth.

Secrets Lyrics Visualizer Video

Lovespirals continue sharing secrets with a dreamy visualizer video utilizing not only the image used on the cover art, but additional shots taken by bandleader, Ryan Lum, in that same session. Vocalist and co-writer, Anji Lum, edited the video, adding in some additional footage she shot, as well as her lyrics. Check it out now on YouTube.

“Secrets” is available now on SpotifyApple MusicAmazon Music, YouTube Music and other streaming platforms under the original band name, Love Spirals Downwards, as well as on Bandcamp under both LSD and Lovespirals.

Secrets Single Out Now

The band’s second single of 2026, “Secrets,” finds them turning inward, embracing a hushed, late-night chillout atmosphere shaped as much by restraint as by confession. Written and produced by husband-and-wife duo Ryan and Anji Lum, the track leans away from guitar-led dynamics in favor of moody synthesizers, understated keyboard lines, and contemporary electronic beats — subtly shifting the emotional contour of the songwriting.

That approach echoes the duo’s 2010 album ‘Future Past,’ which AllMusic Guide famously described as “essentially a slinky soul album for the 21st century,” noting its balance between shoegaze texture and classic ’70s quiet storm warmth. At the time, Ryan described having “two brains” when writing — a guitar brain and a keyboard brain — observing that composing on keys led songs to unfold differently. On “Secrets,” that keyboard-driven mindset returns, allowing the arrangement to unfold patiently and leave space for tension and unresolved feeling.

Anji’s lyrics confront the quiet damage caused by withholding truth, moving from regret toward self-recognition. Delivered in a close, subdued vocal, lines like “Should’ve been more honest / Should’ve spoke my mind” feel unguarded and immediate, while the recurring question — “Are you keeping secrets again?” — circles like an echo of doubt that refuses to fade.

Following the muted exhaustion of “Gray,” Secrets feels less like catharsis than awareness — an acknowledgment of what was left unsaid, and the cost of carrying it alone.

“Secrets” is available now on SpotifyApple MusicAmazon Music, YouTube Music and other streaming platforms under the original band name, Love Spirals Downwards, as well as on Bandcamp under both LSD and Lovespirals.

“Not Myself” on Worldwide FM

Our 2024 track, “Not Myself,” was featured on Worldwide FM on January 30, 2026, as part of the Future Bubblers: “Bedtime Stories” Takeover episode hosted by okcandice.

Founded by legendary UK tastemaker Gilles Peterson, Worldwide FM is an independent global radio platform dedicated to championing underground music, culture, and emerging voices from around the world. The station continues Peterson’s long-standing commitment—carried through his work at BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 6 Music—to spotlight boundary-pushing artists and connect global music communities.

The feature came via the Worldwide FM Future Bubblers program, which was designed to discover and nurture new artists. This special takeover highlighted Bedtime Stories, described as a “sonic practice studio” exploring experimental sound, civic space, and oral heritage. The episode was curated by okcandice—an artist-curator, writer, and musician who describes themselves as a “sonic seamstress.”

Ryan and I are honored to be a part of this stellar mix. Be sure to check out the archived show on MixCloud.

Chillin’ with Lovespirals 102: Gray

Ryan and Anji return to Chillcuts Studio to discuss their brand new single “Gray” and it’s music video, share and respond to listener comments, talk up their upcoming February release, and just overall provide a peek behind the scenes of an independent recording act working in a genre-fluid style in the modern musical landscape.

You can subscribe to Chillin’ with Lovespirals on just about any podcast app like AppleSpotifyAmazoniHeartPodcast Addict, PodchaserDeezer, and JioSaavn. Or just listen to Chillin’ with Lovespirals102 in the player below.

SHOW LINKS:

Gray Music Video Out Now

“Gray” marks Lovespirals first release of 2026, opening the year on a hushed, introspective note with a moody new single and music video. Created by Anji using archival personal footage, the video illustrates the song’s emotional terrain through largely monochromatic recurring imagery: dark tunnel, atmospheric clouds, a flock of birds taking flight from a wintry tree, and Anji slowly traversing sun dappled terrain looking pensive.

This muted visual palette is momentarily broken during the bridge, where the screen bursts into vibrant color to match a sudden surge of memory: “Once there was a time, I swear I knew / Golden light and skies of endless blue / Laughter like a spark that lit the way…” This fleeting warmth provides a sharp contrast to the surrounding footage before the film fades back to a somber monotone, returning to the stillness of the present as Anji intones the finality of the title: “But now it’s only gray.”

The “Gray” music video debuted on January 21st, following the single’s digital release on January 16th. It serves as a haunting visual companion to the track’s exploration of memory and emotional stasis.

Watch the official music video for “Gray”:

Download “Gray” in your choice of digital audio format on Bandcamp or stream via SpotifyApple MusicAmazon MusicYouTube Music, or your fave digital music platform.

Reviews of Falling You ‘Metanoia’

Reviews continue to emerge for Falling You’s Metanoia, released this past December. Several of them have mentioned Anji’s work on the album closer, “Philomena.”

New Age Music Reviews said of the track:

“Philomena,” also known as Saint Philomena or Philomena of Rome…wraps up this incredibly engaging and spacious musical offering with ambient synths, gorgeous piano notes, and magical vocals. Anji Lum takes her place amongst the many incredible women performers, vocalizing to the music like an angel sent from heaven. It is one minute short of another 10-minute musical journey of diverse sounds and textures to capture your imagination. Simply beautiful, like all the tracks you will hear prior to this closer.

Continue reading Reviews of Falling You ‘Metanoia’

“Gray” Single Out Now

Gray marks the duo’s first release of 2026, opening the year on a hushed, introspective note. Infused with Ryan Lum’s signature atmosphere, the song traverses slow motion, moody minor-key terrain, blending evocative samples and 808-driven beats with his trademark ethereal electric and acoustic guitars, emotive string machines, and the spacious production style that has long defined Love Spirals Downwards.

Anji Lum provides the emotional centerpiece, her vocal delivery  subdued to mirror the numbness of the lyrics. Lines like “Everything grows colorless and gray / Even on the sunniest of days” land with quiet weight, supported by an unusually minimal, call-and-echo chorus that  introduces an angelic backing vocal, blooming into a gorgeously dreamlike harmony in the bridge. 

Sonically and thematically, “Gray” closely connects to 2024’s “Noumenon” and last year’s “Nothing Even Matters Anymore,” continuing the band’s exploration of emotional dislocation and restraint, while also drawing from the downtempo pull of “Glittering.” Together, these songs trace the duo’s embrace of chillout and dream pop aesthetics—modern yet timeless—affirming their ability to evolve while remaining unmistakably themselves.

Stream “Gray” on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, or your fave digital music platform.

“Philomena” Featured on Journeyscapes Radio

“Philomena,” our collaboration with Falling You—featuring vocals/lyrics by Anji Lum and guitar/production by Ryan Lum—was recently featured on “PGM 400: ENCHANTED WORLDS 7” of Journeyscapes Radio. The milestone episode is described as a “lush chill mix of ethereal ambient, downtempo & dream pop.” The Metanoia album track appears early in the 1 hour set, drifting through spacious ambient textures and dreamy late-night tones with no distracting talk in-between songs.

Listen to the archived set on MixCloud.

Lovespirals Contribute to Falling You ‘Metanoia’

It’s been eight years since ambient musician John Zorko last released an album under his Falling You collective, but he’s finally returned with a new full-length inspired by the myths of Ovid’s Metamorphoses.

John reached out to Anji Lum in 2023 to contribute lyrics and vocals to a track for the project. As Anji explained in Chillin’ with Lovespirals Episode 101,  she initially struggled with how to approach the material before ultimately embracing the story of Philomena. The story of a woman transformed into a caged nightingale, using birdsong to achieve personal liberation and vindication, seemed fitting for the album’s theme. Her blend of original lyrics—sung in a soothing lower register—with spoken passages drawn from Sir Samuel Garth’s 1717 English translation of Ovid– bridges the modern and the archaic.

That fusion is further expanded through Ryan Lum’s contemporary production work, which introduces an anachronistic edge via subtle formant shifts and textural manipulation. In addition to recording and producing Anji’s vocals for “Philomena,” Ryan also contributed a bluesy electric guitar lead, and added additional percussion—marking his first true hands-on collaboration with the evolving Falling You collective.

Continue reading Lovespirals Contribute to Falling You ‘Metanoia’

Chillin’ with Lovespirals 101: Drift Again

Ryan & Anji are back with the last jam-packed episode of the year. They discuss the creation, release, and response to the brand new single, “Drift Begins,” give a slight update on their October single, “Without You,” talk about several holiday singles Ryan has recorded over the years with Anji and Suzanne, plus a newly released collaboration the duo did back in 2023 with Falling You. Thank you to the viewers who’ve left us comments, we love replying to them on the podcast! Watch the video version of the show on YouTube via the player below.

You can subscribe to Chillin’ with Lovespirals on just about any podcast app like AppleSpotifyAmazoniHeartPodcast Addict, PodchaserDeezer, and JioSaavn. Or just listen to Chillin’ with Lovespirals101 in the player below.

BTW, you can find “Welcome Christmas” from 1995 and “Happy Holidays” from 2012 for purchase in either physical or digital formats on Projekt Records’ Bandcamp account. The 2-version digital single of “Little Drummer Boy” is on Love Spirals Downwards’ Bandcamp account, and “Aspenglow” is on Lovespirals’ Bandcamp page.