For Krista Holly Diem of Lapêche, a dance background came in handy when it was time to make the video for “Happy 4U,” from the band’s recently released third album, Autotelic. “The subject matter of the song is pretty heavy and I wanted to do something that was kind of silly and danceable in a way, almost in a way where you’re dancing and crying at the same time,” she says on a recent video call from Salt Lake City, where Krista and her husband, Lapéche bassist Dave Diem, are based.
Krista, who used to teach dance, choreographed the routine. Then she enlisted two friends, as well as a friend’s daughter and her pal, to dance with her. Her choice in dancers was a practical one— those were the people she knew well enough to ask— as well as an artistic one. The cast for the video for “Happy 4U,” a song that’s about fertility struggles, include two women who have children and two teens without kids. “Then there’s me, who is older, without kids, and I’m neither of those things and I wish I was both in a way,” says Krista.
With “Happy 4U” Lapêche nails that delicate juxtaposition of melancholy and joy that make for a good sad dance song. “Two things can be true at the same time,” says Krista. “Feeling joy or being sad or having regret or struggling with being pregnant.”
That’s a balance that Lapêche maintains throughout Autotelic, which was reviewed on Beatique upon its release. It’s indie pop-rock in the vein of classic bands like Veruca Salt and Sleeper with a bounce in the rhythm that will get you up on your feet, even when the lyrics are heavy.
Krista adds, “I think that everyone can identify with what our songs are about and hopefully want to keep listening because it makes your body want to move.”
Lapêche had intended to make a third album when the band noticed producer Alex Newport amongst their followers. “We looked him up and he worked with all these bands that we really like,” says Krista of Newport, who has worked with the likes of At the Drive-In, The Mars Volta, The Locust and Bloc Party. “We shot him a message and he was like I would love to work with you guys on whatever you’re doing next, so we started basically working with him remotely and would write as much as possible.”
Since the pandemic, the band had been working remotely, even when they lived near each other. “We send ideas back and forth and all of us can work on the idea at the same time,” she explains. “It was so cool to work in that way where everybody is working at the same time and on the same thing. You get a very different result. Everybody gets their ideas heard in a way.”
In the midst of writing, Krista and Dave moved to Salt Lake City, Krista’s hometown, after 18 years in Brooklyn. Since they were already collaborating remotely, the move didn’t affect their writing process. What did change was that they had a lot of time to work on the album. “We had time leading up to recording and we had a lot of time in the studio, which we never had before,” says Krista. “Usually, it’s like we’re on a budget and we’ve got to get this recorded in two days and not every song gets the amount of time that it requires or deserves, so… this album had time to mature and marinate and so I think it’s the best thing that we’ve ever done.”
Eventually, Krista and Dave, plus their East Coast bandmates Drew DeMaio (guitar) and Colin Brooks (drums), convened at Newport’s studio, Tiny Creatures, in Joshua Tree. “It’s just a weird, magical place where it feels like, it doesn’t really feel like it has a schedule,” Krista says of the California desert community. “Lots of cute animals and weird trees. It was like a dream because all of us have full-time jobs so being able to work on this record and record it and have that be the full-time job for a month was pretty epic for us. We thought we’re going to work and we’ll be in the studio until it gets dark out and then we’ll come back and do the same thing. It was awesome. I can’t wait to do it again.”
The desert brought out the magic, or “glory,” as Krista calls it, in some songs. Take “Monsoon,” a song Krista wasn’t particularly happy with before the recording, as an example. “That song came to life for me in the studio, where we changed a part and fixed the bridge and added different instrumentation,” she says. “I did some different things vocally that I hadn’t planned on doing and now I really love that song.”
Now that Autotelic is out, Lapéche is working on a tour plan. “We hope to do a couple legs of tour so that no one has to quit their job,” says Krista. Ideally, that will include jaunts through the Western U.S. and Midwest, as well as the East Coast, but dates and venues aren’t set yet. “Maybe in the summer,” says Krista.
Liz O. is an L.A.-based writer and DJ. Follow on Instagram or sign up for the weekly, Beatique newsletter for updates on new stories and gigs.
Listen to Beatique, February 2026, featuring music from ADULT., Kneecap, The Clash, The Cramps and more.
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