By Colin 
Alice Phoebe Lou returns with ‘Old Shadows’, her third single of the year and a direct conversation with her younger self. The piano-led ballad began life in her twenties, yet it stayed tucked away until she felt ready to embrace its honesty. Now, the song offers a clear snapshot of healing after hurt, pairing gentle keys with vocals that carry equal parts fragility and resolve.
‘Old Shadows’ explores the difficulty of accepting healthy love after painful experiences. In the lyrics, Alice recognises old patterns that linger like ghosts and chooses to let newfound care dissolve them. The track feels cinematic even in its simplicity, because every note lingers long enough to let emotion surface. Moreover, the unadorned production places her voice in the foreground, inviting listeners into a moment of stillness and clarity.
Self-produced freedom and steady momentum
Alice has been taking full creative control throughout the year, and ‘Old Shadows’ continues that trajectory. By producing the track herself, she returns to the sparse instrumentation that defined her early busking days in Berlin. Seasoned fans will recognise the familiar intimacy, while new listeners will appreciate the song’s transparency. In addition, the decision to self-produce marks another step in her evolution as an independent artist.
The single lands during a particularly busy tour cycle. This spring she performed three sold-out nights at The Lodge Room in Los Angeles, then joined Remi Wolf for a show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Soon after, she crossed Europe, enchanting audiences from Paris to Prague and delivering a standout set at London’s Roundhouse. Now, she is preparing to tour North America with her side project strongboi in support of Men I Trust.
Earlier self-produced releases ‘You and I’ and ‘The Surface’ have already signalled a new era, one that values raw storytelling over elaborate studio gloss. Therefore, ‘Old Shadows’ feels like a natural progression, reflecting on past confusion with clarity and warmth. Her streaming numbers now exceed 2.7 million monthly listeners, but the real story remains her connection to the music itself.
Alice credits her Berlin busking years as the foundation for everything she has done since. Although ‘Old Shadows’ revisits difficult memories, it ultimately celebrates personal growth and the courage to welcome love again. The single is available now on all major streaming platforms.
You can follow Alice Phoebe Lou on Instagram.
Lyrics
Sharing it with me
And it takes some getting used to
Oh, you’re sharing it with me
And it takes some getting used to
Old patterns, old patterns
The shadows of the other men I let in
When I didn’t know how to love myself
Now it’s like nothing else
Because your love is finally being received by me
Honey, I’m not used to this real love
I threw it all away
I pretended, I pretended
Honey, I can see us now
You’re sharing it with me
And it takes some getting used to
Oh, you’re sharing it with me
And it takes some getting used to
Don’t you worry when I come with daggers out
I’m fighting old battles
It’s not you that it’s about
It’s those old shadows that haunt my waking self
They’ve been taking up the space inside my dreams
Be patient with me love
I’m still learning that I am worth it
That I deserve it
Sunny with a high chance of rain
I threw it all away
I pretended, I pretended
Honey, I can see us now
You’re sharing it with me
And it takes some getting used to
Oh, you’re sharing it with me
And it takes some getting used to