Beach Bunny’s Alter Ego: tiger lili

By Ashley Farnie
Music Journalist

Following the release of Beach Bunny’s debut album, Honeymoon, lead singer Lili Trifilio launched a solo project under the pseudonym tiger lili. 

Trifilio’s alter ego debut single, “Lightning,” strays from Beach Bunny’s indie surf pop genre to a more indie rock sound. Whilst Beach Bunny focuses on the concept of youth and love, tiger lili makes a shift towards a sophisticated and mature point-of-view.

“Lightning” features a move to California and its sounds and feels like a road trip across the country with the windows down. Almost like the beginning of an indie coming-of-age movie.

Living in a different state than her love interest, Trifilio describes the love as thunder, causing the thunderstorm depicted in the bridge. Shifting the tone of the song, she poetically speaks the bridge which is a lyrical masterpiece in and of itself.

The competing melodies in the track create the force of a thunderstorm and draw the listener into the scene. The instrumentation behind the poem allows for a lyrical recitation of words, bringing the scene to life. Backed by a track of rain sounds, tiger lili’s song pulls you into a new world accompanied by the characters in the story.

With only one song as a preview to Trifilio’s new musical project, “Lightning” sets the stage for this new indie rock solo project. Taking on two projects at a time, Trifilio makes a sharp distinction between genres and lyrical substance in Beach Bunny and tiger lili.

What the future holds for tiger lili is unsure, but with a quick preview through “Lightning,” we can expect nothing but captivating songwriting and production. 

Feature image credited to Beach Bunny