SKU: 14077846703

Barlow, Lou - Reason to Live

Sale price$20.66 Regular price$22.95
Save 10%

Shipping Estimate
USA
  • USA
  • CAN

Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Jul 13 - Jul 18

Promo Codes Available:

For Your Every Summer RSVP, with Code: SUMMER15

Description

Barlow, Lou - Reason to LiveNew Vinyl Record Lou Barlow, Reason to Live On Baby Blue color vinyl. After decades on the road and the never ending hustle of life as an artist, Lou Barlow has tapped into a new confidence in the chaos. In 2021, the concept of balance feels particularly intimidating. Now more than ever, it's clear life isn't just leveling out a pair of responsibilities. Instead, we're chasing after a flock of different ideals with a butterfly net. On Barlow's new

New Vinyl Record - Lou Barlow, Reason to Live

On Baby Blue color vinyl. After decades on the road and the never-ending hustle of life as an artist, Lou Barlow has tapped into a new confidence in the chaos. In 2021, the concept of balance feels particularly intimidating. Now more than ever, it's clear life isn't just leveling out a pair of responsibilities. Instead, we're chasing after a flock of different ideals with a butterfly net. On Barlow's new solo album, Reason to Live, he has come to an understanding of that swirl rather than trying to contain it.

As a long-time indie legend, Barlow has found a life akin to a middle-class musician. In recent years, he's moved from Los Angeles back to Massachusetts, where he lives with his wife and three kids. And yet rather than settle into a comfortable malaise or yearn for the open road, Barlow's strengthened urgency finds a way to merge the two instincts. Reason to Live is shambolic and grand yet intimate and doting, warmly acoustic and crackling with grit. "I had been struggling for a way to connect both my home life and my recorded life, but this record is the first time I've integrated that," Barlow says. By folding the many facets of his life into one package, Reason to Live radiates with a renewed balance and calm. That comfort in complexity shines through even in the recording process, with select songs having origins in decades past and others written in the early stages of 2020. Barlow wrote lead single "Love Intervene" in 2018, and set out to recreate the layered acoustics while adapting the lyrics to his new present. The resulting propulsive track rides on interlocking strumming patterns, Barlow's voice as crisp as a New England breeze. "Tide after tide, change is the meaning of life/ It turns any wall into sand," he exhales, before yet again calling for love to lead the way through. Album opener "In My Arms" quite literally pulls from Barlow's teen years, utilizing a sample of a recording he made in 1982. The track feels stuffed with burnished layers, Barlow's dueling guitar solos and unique strumming patterns threading through the verses. "Lyrically, the song is about rediscovering the initial spark to make music," he says. "I feel like I was finally able to re-embrace my fundamental inspirations to make music." There are echoes of the four-track wizardry of Sebadoh III and the Sentridoh years, but lyrically Barlow cracks those layers apart to reflect on his newly layered life. Even the gruffer themes on the album come delivered in a bronzy sheen. The chorus to "All You People Suck" burns with sincerity and certainty rather than biting venom, his river of acoustic chords makes the conclusion inevitable. Barlow recorded the track in a hotel bathroom while on tour, and the exhausted frustration breathes easily. "All you people lost/ And the light that draws you in/ Be it torch or burning cross/ Your beginning and your end," he arcs. In addition to his trademark acoustic chording, Reason to Live utilizes the wide variety of sonic touchstones in Barlow's kit. His rise in the indie rock scene may most obviously be tied to his personal experience in hardcore and punk music, but soft rock and disco were swirled into the mix as well. As such, the nostalgic "Maumee" (about the river that runs through Ohio, near where Barlow was raised) thumps along on a soft folksy wave, while "Thirsty" could comfortably be amped into a bloodthirsty metal cut. "I wanted to make personal soft rock songs in a way that makes people feel extremely uncomfortable," Barlow laughs. "I always wanted to bring the raw, personal sensibility of a hardcore song into an acoustic mode." The multitude of whirring messages of Reason to Live are united by Barlow's roiling multilayered arrangements and the understanding that change is inevitable-and that it can bring you a new reason to live in the darkest times. "This album is me really opening up, and the album follows that through it's many different themes," he says. "Some of my other work could be almost claustrophobic in it's insistence on being all tied together but there's space for people to live inside these songs." After albums with Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr., Folk Implosion, and under his own name, listeners may have felt they knew the construction of a Barlow song, even that they knew Barlow himself. "People have this vision of me as this heartbroken, depressed guy, but this record feels so true to who I am, to this rich life I now have full of people I love," he says. "The songs culminated over the last five years to show that music has returned to it's central comforting role in my life. Now I'm home." - by Lior Phillips, 2021
  • 1 In My Arms
  • 2 Reason to Live
  • 3 Why Can't It Wait
  • 4 Love Intervine
  • 5 Privatize
  • 6 I Don't Like Changes
  • 7 Clouded Age
  • 8 Over You
  • 9 How Do I Know
  • 10 Cold One
  • 11 Thirsty
  • 12 Maumee
  • 13 Lows and Highs
  • 14 Paws
  • 15 Tempted
  • 16 All You People Suck
  • 17 Act of Faith
    Shipping Notes
    • Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
    • Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
    • Delivery to the USA:
    1. Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
    • If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
    Exchange/Return Notes
    • We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
    • Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
    • To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
    • Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy
    SKU: 14077846703

    Discover Niche Categories That Outsell

    Top-Converting Item to Boost Your Average Order

    4.5 ★★★★★
    Based on 1838 reviews
    Sort
    Highest Rating
    Newest First
    Oldest First
    Product Reviews
    J
    Verified Purchase
    Jennifer Kuhns
    Charlottesville, US
    ★★★★★ 4
    Soft...but fluffy and tall
    Color: White, Size: Standard (Pack of 2)
    I've only had these pillows for about a week. They are a great quality pillow. The cover is soft and seems well made. My only complaint is that they are VERY full pillows. If you're tall with broader shoulders, you'll probably love them. If you're shorter with a smaller frame you will probably feel like your head is too high and your neck at a weird angle (my problem). There seemed to be mixed reviews about softness....I would consider these a nice medium pillow. Soft filling but firm enough that your head doesn't sink to the bed. Definitely NOT a down-like pillow, so if that's what you're looking for, this is not for you.
    WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
    Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2026
    M
    Verified Purchase
    Maria Fernanda Rojas Mejia
    Belleville, US
    ★★★★★ 5
    Soft, fluffy and surprisingly comfortable
    Color: White, Size: Queen (Pack of 2), Color: White, Size: Queen (Pack of 2)
    I really liked these pillows. I tried to show different things in my photos because I wanted people to see the details: the design, how fluffy they are, and how full and thick they actually look. They are so full that the pillowcase even looks tight once you put it on, which I actually loved because they look luxurious and well-filled. At first glance they look very thick and high, but once you lay down they feel soft and fluffy instead of hard. They adjust comfortably and feel very cozy whether you’re sleeping, relaxing, or even reading before bed. I think they offer a really good balance because they feel supportive without being stiff. Of course, pillow preference is very personal—some people like lower pillows and others like higher ones—but for someone who likes fuller pillows that are still soft and comfortable, these are great. They are spacious, cozy, and feel like a very good purchase overall. I honestly don’t have any complaints so far. Definitely happy with them.
    WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
    Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2026
    R
    Verified Purchase
    RF
    Port Orchard, US
    ★★★★★ 5
    Great quality pillows. Very difficult wrapping.
    Color: White, Size: King (Pack of 2)
    The Pillows are the real deal. Very fluffy but with good support. I was surprised by the weight of the box they came in, pretty heavy so you know there’s good quality pillows inside. The one negative is that the pillows are packed in very very tight plastic because they come compressed. But the thing is, it’s really a chore to open them. You have to be careful not to cut through the plastic to the material, but the plastic is put on so incredibly tight that it’s even hard to get your finger underneath. But I found a way to open them. Near the top, insert A very flat metal ruler as far in as you could get it. Then cut through the plastic that’s above the metal ruler. That prevents a sharp tool from damaging the pillows. As you get through the plastic above the ruler, keep pushing the ruler further down into the package. Believe me, this simplifies what could be a very difficult unpacking. I am very surprised that the company that makes them does not insert the type of opener that you find on boxes you receive in the mail or even packages that you get from the grocery store where you just pull a tab and that opens the package. These are really good pillows, but you must be very careful about using a sharp object when opening the box and when trying to cut through the plastic. I am a strong man and have the tools needed, a very flat metal ruler, and a box cutter, knife, or razor. Good luck. !!
    WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
    Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2026
    S
    Verified Purchase
    Starr Charles
    Massapequa, US
    ★★★★★ 5
    These hold up very well
    Color: White, Size: Standard (Pack of 2)
    I have NO luck with pillows. I’ve been in stores & tried them. They seemed ok there. At home, nope. I’ve been getting headaches & neck aches from lousy pillows. I’ll change one, a few nights relief. It doesn’t help that I’m prone to headaches. After reading about different pillows, I settled on these. The reviews were better than so many different ones I was looking at. Including high priced & brand names. I bought the standard size. When I saw, “Customers Usually Keep This”, I kept my fingers crossed. When I received them, I took one out of the package & put my head on it & thought, oh no! This is too hard! I tried it again. Ok….. I slept on it & haven’t had any pains since. It’s soft but firm enough to keep my head from sinking & messing up my neck. I don’t move. No more flipping my pillow over. My head doesn’t go below my neck anymore! This has been 2 months now, but it hasn’t changed at all. I wake up happy, not complaining. No more pains or headaches. This saved me from losing days with a heating pad or an ice pack. The price was excellent for 2 pillows. I can’t believe a blind buy was the answer! These are incredible. Finally, something worked for me.
    WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
    Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2026
    X
    Verified Purchase
    Xander King
    Cuba, US
    ★★★★★ 5
    Awesome Pillows!
    Color: White, Size: King (Pack of 2)
    These pillows are super soft! I love them. I bought them when I caught a bad cold and needed to prop myself up. Worked so great! Definitely give these pillows a try. They're very reasonably priced too.
    WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
    Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2026

    recommand products