Chicago singer-songwriter V.V. Lightbody has announced her new album *Period Piece*, her first as sole lead producer, due out on 9 October via Egghunt Records. The announcement arrives alongside the album's second single, "Practice Smiling," accompanied by a video directed by Bobby Butterscotch, marking her first full-length release since 2020's *Make A Shrine Or Burn It*.

Lightbody said "Practice Smiling" was written after attending her first rock show in Chicago following the 2021 reopening, capturing the awkwardness and exhilaration of relearning social interaction, alongside broader frustrations about the difficulty of getting people out to live shows. The ten-track album also includes previously shared single "Best Problem," which featured strings from Macie Stewart. Lightbody will support the release with tour dates including Urbana's Pygmalion Music Festival on 27 September, two nights at Chicago's The Hideout in mid-October, and a New York show at The Broadway on 12 November.