Lou Roy is a singer-songwriter from the LA suburb of Topanga Canyon. “Valkyrie,” her first single for UK label Balloon Machine, was produced by Sarah Tudzin of Illuminati Hotties and inspired by the chaos of Las Vegas and, per her own description, “female figures in Norse mythology who ride horses through the sky with big, long swords and are very sick.” Lou Roy sings, “Ride with me, Valkyrie/ Slay all those fuckers that have hurt you in the past.” The song exists at the intersection of folksy indie rock and lithe R&B, with a rhythm Roy originally tapped out on a water bottle.

A statement from the artist:

The song began with me tapping my water bottle while listening to my buddies have a conversation around me. It was called “water bottle birthday beat” for months, until one night in July I got high and decided to just put the beat on loop and improvise lyrics. I had a panic attack a few days before, and had recounted that in the opening line, and from there I just decided to go stream of consciousness based on that. Apparently, I was feeling angry and vengeful — the rest of what came out was all about embracing rage.

Then in a sudden shift of perspective, I noticed I wanted peace and quiet and asked myself, “hey man, whatcha doin? Come on back, I need you movin!” It was a gentle request to please not be so upset, I’m scaring me!

Listen below.