Lili Trifilio aka: Beach Bunny has grown up over the last few years. navigating young love, lineup changes and the covid age. As a songwriter, the artist has evolved, since the release of her well received tracks “Crybaby/Prom Queen.” Beach Bunny’s latest record album Tunnel Vision, is definitely her most honest work to date. The Chicago artist talked to Northern Transmissions about the LP and much more. Catch Beach Bunny on tour, as they cris-cross North America over the summer.

Beach Bunny: I think this album explores a lot of my relationship with myself. All the previous works were mostly about romance and breakups and stuff, which is fun to talk about. But it was cathartic being able to get really introspective. I say this about every album, but right now this one’s my favorite—just ’cause I think it helped me get through some emotions I was feeling in my personal life.

Northern Transmissions: Do you find it hard to be so vulnerable in your music, or do you feel like there are some things you need to hold back?

Beach Bunny: I feel like I should find that more of a struggle, but for some reason with music, I can be the most honest. In my personal life, if I’m trying to have a conversation or confront something, that’s when it’s harder. But music feels like its own entity—it’s easier to be honest through her.

Northern Transmissions: What were your inspirations for this album—musical or otherwise?

Beach Bunny: I was listening to a lot of friends’ music, local music, and yeah, I was bumping Brat all last year while we were writing. Lyrically, turning 27 hit me hard—Saturn return stuff. I’d heard about Saturn return stuff before—how it’s supposed to hit you in your late twenties and shake everything up—but when it actually started happening, I was like, oh… okay, this is real. I found myself thinking about everything—my early twenties, what I did right or wrong, where I was going next, even the kind of person I want to be in my thirties. It wasn’t always comfortable. There was a lot of spiraling and questioning and trying to figure out if I’d done enough or grown enough.

But I think the more I talked about it with friends, the more I realized everyone was feeling it in some way. Like we’re all dealing with that tension of change—emotionally, politically, personally. And I think that definitely seeped into the lyrics, just that feeling of being unsettled but still trying to find something solid. So yeah, it ended up being a really personal record, probably my most personal, and in some ways, I think that’s what made it feel the most honest.

Northern Transmissions: What’s been a surreal moment on tour where you really felt the impact of the music?

Beach Bunny: The closest I got to having a happy cry was on stage in D.C., where we sold out two shows and I knew that the album was coming out the following day at midnight. And I was singing “Clueless,” and I was just thinking about where I had been mentally and where I felt mentally then, which was just so much more confident and at peace with myself.

Writing the album was very turbulent and upsetting, and I think just seeing everybody show up in person gave me some confidence that all our work on the album was going to pay off as well. It was cool seeing people already know some of the words to the singles and just being really excited about it—because I was pretty nervous to put out an album.

So that—that felt like a big wave of relief. Like, okay, this is real. It’s connecting. People are here, and they care.

Northern Transmissions: Is it hard to keep performing something so emotional every night?

Beach Bunny: Once it’s in the hands of other people, that relatability helps me let go. By the time a song comes out and we’re on tour, I’m usually in a different phase of life. I saw some comments like, “I hope she’s okay,” and I’m like, well… I wasn’t a year ago, but I am now.

Northern Transmissions: That’s kind of comforting in a way—like, even if something is painful, you’ve moved through it by the time people hear it.

Beach Bunny: Definitely. Things change so fast. And I’m kind of anti-change, which you can probably hear in the record. But yeah, with writing a song, I always want the option to edit. Once it’s turned in but not out yet—that’s the scariest time. But once it’s out? I’m like, “Oh… that wasn’t so bad.”

Northern Transmissions: Do you struggle with that sense of perfectionism—like wanting to keep tweaking?

Beach Bunny: I hate handing in songs. Same with music videos. Even if I don’t know what I’d change, I want the possibility to change something. But once it becomes other people’s, it’s cool to see how they interpret it—how it becomes part of their lives. Some people have told me a Beach Bunny song was their first dance at a wedding. I’m like, wow, your experience with that song is so different than mine… and that’s beautiful.

Northern Transmissions: Has any fan interaction stuck with you in a deep way?

Beach Bunny: Yeah, a few. Really early on, someone said “Prom Queen” helped her get into recovery. That was life-changing to hear. And more recently, I became friends with a fan named Katie who was going through cancer. We formed this beautiful friendship through music—and she passed, but I think about her all the time. We never would’ve met if it weren’t for music. I think about her a lot.

Northern Transmissions: Going back to the beginning—Beach Bunny has grown a lot over the years. What was it like starting out?

Beach Bunny: I started in 2015, but I was in baby mode. I put out one song, no shows. Very DIY. I had no resources—just did what I could. It’s wild to think about now.

Northern Transmissions: And your process has changed a bit, but not entirely?

Beach Bunny: Right. I still don’t use a guitar pick, which I probably should. Still record voice memos on my phone. But having bandmates now changes everything. I’ll bring a song to the room, and we build it together. With this record, something shifted—I started writing fully in my head. On walks, in the car, on planes. I’d just sing into my phone to remember it. That’s been really cool.

Northern Transmissions: If the new album were a movie, what kind of movie would it be?

Beach Bunny: Definitely a coming-of-age indie film. It’d be pink and bubbly, but the main character would be fighting her inner demons. For sure.

Northern Transmissions: You mentioned that post-COVID, show etiquette has been a bit all over the place. What’s that been like to navigate?

Beach Bunny: No shade to anybody, but people are confused. There’s a lot of debate online about how a Beach Bunny show should be. There’s moshing, crowd surfing—but also 12-year-olds and 35-year-old men. It’s a super diverse crowd. And it’s great, but people need to respect each other’s space.

Northern Transmissions: What’s the ideal etiquette, in your eyes?

Beach Bunny: If you wanna be in a mosh pit, go to the middle. If not, go to the sides. Don’t punch people. Don’t block people. Don’t be on your phone the whole time. And just… dance a little. Engage. That’s all.

Northern Transmissions: What’s next for you guys—even if it’s just a much-needed nap?

Beach Bunny: [laughs] Yeah, this album was the big event of the year. We’re doing the West Coast, Europe, some festivals this summer. Maybe another release will come later—we’ll see. I can’t say too much. But we’re excited to be back. There was kind of a hiatus and a band shift, so it’s nice to feel secure again. This feels like the beginning of our tunnel vision era. I’m locked in.

Northern Transmissions: Are you the type to go watch other sets at festivals after your own?

Beach Bunny: Absolutely. I’ll slam a Red Bull, then I’m running to catch as many bands as I can. I love being around music. I’m sure I’ll sleep all break, but once I’m back out there, I’m all in.

Order Tunnel Vision by Beach Bunny HERE