‘Oozing charisma and confidence, it’s a debut miles away from her previous melancholic influences.’
Intro to Lauryn Macfarlane
Giving us a taster of what we can expect from her upcoming EP, Canadian singer-songwriter Lauryn Macfarlane releases her introductory single ‘Friendly.’ Raised in a small town in rural Ontario, and growing up within a community where the arts were made a priority amongst young students, Lauryn’s start to her career is as enviable as the sound she delivers. Equally, with support leading to her opening for various acts including JJ and The Pillars, Heaps, Kane Miller and NEFFE, it’s clear her musicality really is getting noticed. Therefore with her bewitching storytelling, celestial take on indie-pop and melodic writing seeing her compared to Jade Bird, Phoebe Bridgers and The Chicks, it’s little wonder that debut single ‘Friendly’ doesn’t disappoint.
Track Review
Carrying a vocal quality that is completely addictive, Lauryn beautifully balances soothing tones with punchy, multi-tracked harmonies. Like liquid gold, warm and sweeping slides adorn the track pulling the flow of each phrase right through the speakers and pouring them into our ears. Working underneath these vocals though, there is a sweet guitar led sensibility and a bedrock of drums to drive the track and bring self-assurance.
Speaking about the track and the intentions of it Lauryn states, “It’s a reminder that the best way to get what you want is to just be clear, confident and to the point.” Real advice for life then! And this sense of assurance is also echoed in the actual writing process itself. “The track was born out of a writing exercise that I embarked on after thinking that the only good songs I could write were sad ones – the songwriting style I’d used as a form of therapy since childhood.” What is really clear from the sound of ‘Friendly’ though is how much of a step out the park it is from the tendency for melancholic musicality.
“I decided to spend a night trying to push myself into writing something more fun and sassier.” Lauryn recalls. “I had a whole house to myself while dog-sitting two giant schnauzers. I could sing as loud and pitchy as I wanted. Then, after messing around with chords on my guitar and settling on the melody, the first version of this song was written in just over twenty minutes.” And it really is worth keeping this in mind when you listen to the track.
Producing the level of serotonin that it does, it’s hard to believe the short time frame in which the basis of it was created. It is a real headphone on and swagger along kind of song. The type that oozes charisma and confidence. Confidence miles away from the sadness mentioned. Equally, in the track being produced by Sam Woywitka (Luca Fogale, Half Moon Run) the final sound is one that retains authenticity while feeling incredibly accomplished. Check out Lauryn’s amazing debut in all the usual places now and be sure to prepare yourself for the next one!
Feature by Harriet Heywood
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Listen to Lauryn Macfarlane on: Spotify
