Spencer LaJoye treats us to their uncompromisingly human view of the world on their triumphant album Shadow Puppets. I’ve enjoyed watching LaJoye blossom over the last few years, growing ever more confident in their writing and, as they discussed in our interview, their stage presence and ability to draw their audience into their performances. In Shadow Puppets, LaJoye delves into their formative experiences, drawing us through the muck into their own self-reclamation.
Shadow Puppets is not one dwell on pain, and when it does, there’s a point to it. “Chaotic Neutral,” a sly reference to Dungeons & Dragons, re-examines LaJoye’s Catholic upbringing through the lens of a partner who is delightfully free of such burdens.
“Good Man” finds LaJoye learning how to separate their religious trauma with their own honest beliefs — and navigating it with a trusted relative. What happens when the rest of the family turns against that person? LaJoye probes the situation with sensitivity and grace, with an earnestness that clearly expresses their viewpoint without condemning others’.
It’s a fine line to travel, and “Surgery” threads the needle with a funny and kind-hearted take on gender dysphoria. At the end of the day, all the therapy in the world cannot substitute the need — and the right — to gender-affirming healthcare. Rather than a strident anthem, “Surgery” is a gentle campfire song that is surely a singalong at LaJoye’s live shows.
Through thick and thing, Shadow Puppets, asks us to take our pain and find a way through it with empathy and compassion.