Lola Leon Tramp Stamp

Considering that it’s all but impossible for any child of Madonna’s to ever fully emerge from her towering shadow, Lourdes “Lola” Leon has done a fairly good job of it over the course of the past four years (and even Rocco Ritchie, too, with his career as a painter). That is, starting in 2022, when she released her first EP, Go, under the stage name of Lolahol. Since then, she’s decided to be less “abstruse” by reverting to Lola Leon (“Lourdes” perhaps still being too “obscure” of a moniker for most people). A shift that occurred earlier this year, with the release of her first single after signing to Atlantic Records, “T Shirt.” A song that still bore the dreamy, ambient tones of Go tracks like “Lock&Key” and “Cuntradiction.” But with “Tramp Stamp,” the single that follows (and seems to set up the notion that both of these sultry offerings will eventually be included on a full-length album), Leon is starting to do something slightly different, from a sonic perspective.

Oh sure, it’s still decidedly “trip hop,” but it’s much more awash in the kind of moody, expressive guitars one hears on both Ray of Light and American Life (the former often deemed Madonna’s masterpiece and the latter still not as appreciated as it ought to be). Both albums, incidentally, also recently inspiring the sound of Shygirl’s album, Swallow! Perhaps not a coincidence considering that Shygirl has a friendship with Leon and also appeared alongside Arca and Richard E. Grant in the “Danceteria” segment of Madonna’s Confessions II: The Film (describing of the experience, “I mean I know her a little bit because I’m friends with Lola but, like, even though I’m such a Madonna fan, every time I see her, [it’s] like, ‘You’re my friend’s mom’ and so it’s weird being on set with her and, like, seeing her in action ‘cause she’s so lovely”).

To further distinguish “Tramp Stamp,” in contrast to the more upbeat (despite its sentimental and often bittersweet lyrics) tone of “T Shirt,” this single instead favors a, let’s say, more “drugged out” aura, both vocally and musically (indeed, it wouldn’t be out of place on the soundtrack for Trainspotting). As for the latter aspect, that sound comes courtesy of producer Oscar Scheller, who has lately been making an even bigger name for himself with credits on PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson’s “Stateside” remix and five tracks on Lily Allen’s critically acclaimed West End Girl. Not to mention, of course, his frequent collaborations with Shygirl. Which is also probably part of why “Tramp Stamp” feels so correlative to Shygirl’s burst of recent singles, “Alyse,” “Lucky (Hymn)” and “Mantra” (even though all three were produced by Karma Kid). And it’s the same favoring of 90s-inspired guitar sounds (again, of the William Orbit/Ray of Light and Mirwais Ahmadzaï/American Life variety) that punctuates “Tramp Stamp” with a hypnotic vibration. Not to mention lyrics that ultimately serve as Cheshire Cat-meets-the-Caterpillar-esque riddles (and no, the words never quite make it clear exactly why Leon opted to title this single “Tramp Stamp”).

Case in point, “Danger with my little lamb/Many refuse the distance/We got panic right at home/With the fancy candles” and “I don’t make moon water anymore.” But then, Leon has never been much for “sensical” or “straightforward” songwriting (hear also: “Spelling,” Leon’s homage [at least visually] to “Frozen” that offers such lines as, “Cyclical bicycle/Forever/Don’t want my feet to touch the sand/Carry me on your back”). Though one thing that is straightforward in “Tramp Stamp” is just how much Madonna’s taste in art has influenced Leon as she name-checks Tracey Emin with the mention of a “Tracey Emin drawing in the stairs” (it’s better than Jay-Z rapping about his own art collection during Beyoncé’s “Drunk in Love,” “Foreplay in a foyer, fucked up my Warhol”). But, short of getting one of Emin’s drawings tattooed on her lower back, it’s not obvious what any of this has to do with a tramp stamp. Unless, of course, it’s somehow being wielded metaphorically rather than literally (but even then, the meaning of the title wouldn’t be readily apparent). Possibly as in: she’s cheekily (no ass pun intended) leaving the stamp of her trampiness on everything she does (look no further than the accompanying “Tramp Stamp” photos, shot by Elizaveta Porodina, to emphasize that point). Just as Madonna before her (and, in all honesty, probably Madonna after her, since the latter will never stop dressing scantily and Leon likely will—and also, it’s entirely possible that Madonna will outlive everyone just to prove the true extent of her staying power).

When the beat drops (as much as it can in a song like this) around the one-minute-twenty-five-second mark, Leon declares, “I can’t shake it.” Once upon a time, that phrase might have applied to how she felt about living in her mother’s shadow, and still being filmed and photographed against her will because of it (something she addresses during her feature on Confessions II’s “The Test”). But, at present, it’s become quite patent that Leon is very comfortable in her own musical skin (even as she continues to borrow and reference distinct elements of Madonna’s more esoteric stylings) and with persisting in carving out an identity of her own in the industry. Even if that carving has been a slow, casual process. Indicating that, to Leon (who is, after all, still a nepo baby), this is more of a “hobby” than a “main event” in her life. Which has not been the case for Madonna, who has always put music first (even amidst her failed attempts and false starts as a movie star).

Granted, like Leon, Madonna’s main reason for getting into music in the first place is that it was a vehicle through which to channel her personality and image. With “Tramp Stamp,” the latest in her musical arsenal, Leon is trying to do the same. But if she wants to do so more successfully as her career progresses, sooner or later (to quote a Madonna song title), she’s going to have to be a bit less vague (and less mumble-y) with her lyricism. However, despite this song having no clear relation to “skin ink,” it will surely make its way onto the playlist of certain LA and NY-based tattoo parlors.