LISTEN: “Insidious” by The Lael Project (Lael Summer)

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and The Lael Project has released Lael Summer’s posthumous single, “Insidious”.

There’s no polish to hide behind in “Insidious” and that’s its power. Built around a voice memo recorded weeks before Lael Summer’s death. The raw vocals and dark atmosphere strike with fearless honesty and the single captures more than a song. It captures an artist facing herself with brutal clarity.

The production by Tomás Doncker and James Dellatacoma doesn’t soften the edges. Instead, it frames Lael’s iPhone demo with quiet reverence, allowing her unfiltered voice to carry the emotional weight. The track feels stripped down but not incomplete. Every element is deliberate by serving to uphold Lael’s original intention.

Her vocal is intimate and wavers between strength and vulnerability in a way that can’t be faked. There’s no barrier between the listener and what she’s trying to say. This isn’t a studio-polished performance. It’s a message captured in the moment, and yet, the mix achieves a careful balance by preserving the urgency of her voice while wrapping it in just enough instrumentation to keep it grounded.

Tomás’ words capture it best,

She already had all of the lyrics when we started writing the tune, and the mysterious and darkly brooding atmosphere was already quite evident. Lael was surely no stranger to intensity as far as her lyrical/melodic choices were concerned – always choosing to approach the subject matter of all her songs head on. Fearlessly

That vision didn’t need polishing. It just needed to be honoured.

“Insidious” isn’t easy to listen to, but it’s not meant to be. It’s unflinching, and that’s what makes it important. By refusing to sanitize or sugarcoat Lael’s struggles, the song holds space for the messy, unpredictable reality of mental illness. In doing so, it lives up to The Lael Project’s goal: to help just one person feel seen.

Know you are not alone, please reach out to any of the sources below to talk.

For other sources visit Open Counseling or Find a Help Line.