Carving out her own path in the music industry, Lauren Lakis offers a refreshing blend of raw, haunting shoegaze that sets her apart. With genuine and raw lyrics, Lauren creates moody and almost doomy rhythms that have the ability to comfort yet force one into serious reflection.
Her third album, A Fiesta and a Hell captures the moody and doomy by title alone.
On the album, Lauren says,
“’It was the best of times, it was the worst of times’. There is no better way for me to describe the past few years. In this time, I’ve grappled with intense grief, personally and for the collective, and anger that sometimes borders on rage. It’s hard to be a loving, open-hearted person in a world that can be so cold and alienating. Many facets of life have felt devoid of warmth and care; many people have felt devoid of warmth and care. And yet, because you can’t have hell without heaven, I’ve been simultaneously shown unconditional love on a scale I’ve never before experienced, too. We truly cannot have light without the dark; words to remember when the world is at its most bleak.”
“Take My Hand” the lead single explores embracing the unknown with Lauren confiding,
“Forgetting what you thought you knew, letting go and bravely opening your mind to something radically different.”
One of my personal favourite songs on the album, is the strong 80’s vibe of “Terror Tears”. A song that is a protest against media and government dishonesty.
The two stand out tracks, “Leave Your Window Open”, a vampire love song and “Keep Your Woman Down” echo with 80’s goth vibes and luscious bass and drums that absolutely delight. Add Lauren’s haunting vocals and both songs would do well to sit between or next to the likes of Siouxsie Sioux and Kate Bush without even flinching.
A Fiesta and a Hell is a compelling exploration of the juxtaposition of light and dark in life, reflecting both personal and collective experiences of grief, anger, and unconditional love.
MUST LISTEN TRACKS: “Take My Hand”, “Loud Voices”, “Leave Your Window Open”
FAVOURITE TRACKS: “Terror Tears”, “Keep Your Woman Down”
