Swamped in delicate piano playing and introspective narratives the first two albums by Jenny Lascelles set off early indications of mature song writing skills and delightful, delicate, vocal ability. By the time Lascelles’s second album, 2017’s Backbone, was released, common review lines talked about potential and about how, with the right development and the right level of artistic growth, Lascelles could grow into a deeply affecting artist. No pressure there then.
And so here we are at the start of album three, A little louder, with lead single and early summer release “Dying 2 get 2 u” having already showed the signs of artistic development that was hoped for. Described by NARC as a “rousing yet intimate rumination on mortality, dwelling on the fragility of existence and our inability”, Dying reflected a number of new pallets within Lascelle’s catalogue both sonically and thematically; “Dying was an important first step for me” confirms Lascelles “with this album I wanted to try to change my music and to push myself in a number of ways both musically and personally”.
Taken as a brave step towards artistic truth, Dying shone an early light on the direction Lascelles wanted to head in, a move evidenced in spades throughout the rest of the album which glows with adult themes and an understanding of modern life complexities; ‘She’s a peach’ being the type of pop to sass move that Kylie pulled off with ‘Confide in me’ when shedding her pop past in favour of a provocateur, and ‘Sea green’ being a pop/rock anthem that builds and builds into a glorious final explosion of intricate vocal parts and melody lines. These are complex, intricate, songs with huge, big picture visions and fine, grand, details; as Lascelles says, this is not just about new songs, it’s about a new identity – “the title a little louder has a few meanings, it talks about the difference in the music and the production I’m looking for, but its also a message to me to push myself to use my own voice more and to be more confident in places I haven’t always been in the past especially with topics such as mental health, loss and exploring what it means be a woman”.
An October release date for A little Louder is supported by a live album launch show at Bobiks which is already being planned (“It’ll be great to plat at Bobiks and the idea is to play with the full band and also some backing vocalists, so I’m really excited about how it’s coming together and how I imagine it’s going to sound”) and before that a few solo warm up shows (“me and the piano essentially”) to road test some of the newer material. Having heard the different textures of the album (ranging from Dying 2 get 2 u’s piano loops right through to Drown me’s gentle rock textures and Forgive me’s rhythmic drive) it’ll be interesting to check out all of those shows to see how Lascelles recreates the albums textures and layerings in a live setting. Such challenges, along with developing current ideas for future projects into finished pieces, will keep Lascelles busy and artistically developing. Such challenges should also support further artistic growth.
Continued progression and further growth? No pressure there then.
A little louder is released on 24th October. An album launch iis at 3.30-6.30pm, at Bobiks on 24th October.
1st draft below
Swamped in delicate piano playing and introspective narratives the first two albums by Jenny Lascelles set off early indications of mature song writing skills and delightful, delicate, vocal ability. By the time Lascelles’s second album, 2017’s Backbone, was released, common review lines talked about potential and about how, with the right development and the right level of artistic growth, Lascelles could grow into a deeply affecting artist. No pressure there then.
And so here we are at the start of album three, A little louder, with lead single and early summer release “Dying 2 get 2 u” already showing the signs of artistic development that was hoped for. Indeed we described “Dying” as a “rousing yet intimate rumination on mortality, dwelling on the fragility of existence and our inability”, with the inference that Dying was branching into Nic Cave territory with dark inner narratives and interesting piano structures. “Dying was an important first step for me” confirms Lascelles “with this album I wanted to try to change my music and to push myself in a number of ways both musically and personally”.
Taken as a brave step towards artistic truth, Dying is an early indication of the direction Lascelles wants to head in, “the title a little louder has a few meanings, it talks about the difference in the music and the production I’m looking for, but its also a message to me to push myself to use my own voice more and to be more confident in places I haven’t always been in the past especially with topics such as mental health, loss and exploring what it means be a woman”.
Yet as much as Lascelles music and central theme dominates Dying, perhaps the greatest display of artistic development is in the single’s accompanying video, a Phil Martin produced performance art piece supporting not just the sound of the single, but also it’s intent; “the idea of the video, which fit with the song, was the two dancers who are so physically close to each other but they never actually touch which references the wat that we can feel so close to someone even though they aren’t here or might not longer being with us. Sometimes those moments can be more painful, when you’re so close to somebody but don’t have that physical connection”.
An October release date for A little Louder is supported by a live album launch show at Bobiks which is already being planned (“It’ll be great to plat at Bobiks and the idea is to play with the full band and also some backing vocalists, so I’m really excited about how it’s coming together and how I imagine it’s going to sound”) and before that a few solo warm up shows (“me and the piano essentially”) to road test some of the newer material. “
With a post album release single also due (“we’re thinking now about what song from the album that could be”) and already ideas coming for future projects, it’s clear that Lascelles isn’t ready to stop her development and progression just yet. Continued progression? No pressure there then.
A little louder is released on 24th October. An album launch is at 3.30-6.30pm, at Bobiks on 24th October.