Shannon Lay Shares “Horizons” Single + Video, ‘Past The Veil’ LP Out July 28th

Shannon Lay today has shared her new single “Horizons,” the latest track from her upcoming album Past The Veil, due out on July 28th via All The Best. The luminous, textured track is accompanied by a Bailey Salwey-directed video, and follows lead single “Past The Veil,” which earned praise and support from Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan, FLOOD, CLASH, and more. “‘Horizons’ is a reminder to be authentic,” she says. “We all have a unique perspective and that’s what makes this whole experience so interesting. I love art for that reason; it is someone’s view of the world on display. We need to be as much as we want to be and keep our head up high and we traverse uncertainty. Every step forward makes a difference.”

Lay’s seraphic voice and fingerpicking has long been a guiding spirit — a compassionate steward of tender hearts and minds. For the last decade, her music has offered a retreat from one’s worries, and created a refuge out of delicate and minimalist arrangements. With her new studio album, Past the Veil, she proffers the same care and understanding, and a similar emotional timbre, but from an entirely different sonic vantage point. Rather than weaving a safe cocoon in which listeners may hide out, Past the Veil rips it apart, offering a bold invitation to move through our discomfort and uncertainty. It is the sound of rebirth. It is a chance to stand up, join together, and maybe even dance.

Beginning in 2024, Lay teamed up with Los Angeles recording engineer and producer Rob Shelton of Altamira Sound in Alhambra, and began writing songs on the spot, with various local musicians joining them to flesh out the tracks. Their first collaborative effort became the single “Mirrors,” a soft-rock meditation released in April that year, which positioned Lay’s voice over a rich full-band arrangement. “As soon as we finished that song, I knew I wanted that sound and feeling to compose the entire next record,” Lay says.

Over the next year, Lay allowed Shelton to help move her out of her usual minimalist frequency, and write a collection of songs that incorporated everything from drum machines to string arrangements and pedal steel guitar. Lay also sings with the might of her full range — sounding bolder and more powerful than ever before — all while maintaining her characteristic softheartedness.

Past the Veil is Lay’s most expansive album yet, an extension of the abundance mindset she chose to adopt as she navigated big changes. On top of literal and metaphorical hellfire (the Altadena and Pacific Palisades fires of January 2025; the entirety of Trump’s second term in office), Lay also parted ways with her previous record label which inspired her to lean into trusting herself and her community. Past the Veil is the first release from her new artist-run label, All The Best, where she’ll issue her own music as well as some of her friends’.

“Horizons” is out today via All The Best.

Shannon Lay – “Horizons”

Shannon Lay – Bio

Shannon Lay’s music is shored by radical empathy. After 15 years of writing, recording and performing her singularly gentle songs in venues around the world, the self-taught singer-songwriter is most concerned with how her music may help people in emotional and spiritual need. In a world of persistent change, Lay’s goal is to have concentrations of love and energy in her work that double as a helping hand or a voice whispering “everything is going to be ok.” The singer’s abiding belief is that immense change also means invaluable transformation and permanent relief. Intention is her North Star. Hailed by publications such as Pitchfork, The Guardian, SPIN and Uncut magazine, Lay’s solo albums, including Geist, August, Living Water, and All this life goin’ down are noted for their thoughtful and entirely tender reflections on life’s big questions. Her seraphic voice has drawn comparisons to British folk icons Anne Briggs, Sandy Denny and Vashti Bunyan. Though an old soul, Lay aims to meet her listeners in the present. For her, creating a song, a recording or a live performance that is relatable and communal is of the utmost importance for we are constantly in flux and those unknowns, met with compassion, can be beautiful. With it, she makes a concrete investment in her relationships, and hopes to build a meaningful and lasting home for the things she believes in, rather than navigate the provisional agreements that can arise at the intersection of art and commerce.

Written by Erin Osmon