Laurel shares "Maybe Baby" and chats about her debut album

The Southampton-raised 22 year old releases her new collection of songs next week ahead of her first-ever UK tour. "Maybe Baby" is a sludgy-pop beast full of acid-splashed guitars and Laurel's addictive harmonies - it follows "Life Worth Living" and "San Francisco".

Could you tell us about the PARK EP? How did you write/record it?

I wrote it over the last few months, in my last house - well my bedroom really - which was in London Fields on the park. So the name originates from there. After I had finished the EP and done the track listing, I realised that with out meaning to it had represented a sequence of events that had happened to me over the past few months of living on that park.

How does it follow on from Holy Water?

It doesn’t really, I feel like a totally different person since I released my last EPs. I almost feel like this is my first EP all over again. It's kinda just like a different chapter though I guess.

What has changed since the release of the Holy Water EP?

Ha, too much to even list. I picked my guitar back up though - I guess that's the main change. I had stopped playing it for a while - I’m not sure why, but I got quite into piano and synths and electronic beats. Picking back up the guitar has forced out my old love for more organic noises and instrumentation, this is where I feel most comfortable I think.

What's PARK about?

It's about a relationship that goes south and ends with a bittersweet goodbye. Which seems to be a common theme for my songs, oops.

What side of you does it show off?

I think a few different sides; "Maybe Baby" to me is a little more bandy, I was listening to a lot of Talking Heads and Sonic Youth and I think that rubbed off on me a little. "Hurricane" I see as a midway between that and folk music; it's probably the sweetest sounding song I have written in a while (for me, anyway). "Too Far" was really just one of those self-indulgent songs I wrote when I was sad and angry and didn’t care how it came out and thought I wouldn’t ever release, so there's quite an undertone to that one I think. "And Then Goodbye" reminds me of when I was 13 and I had picked up the guitar and started writing with it for the first time with no conciseness towards writing hooks or good melodies, just something I felt like I needed to say. I really wanted to include an acoustic song, I write most of my songs that way and then put the music behind them after so I wanted to show where they begin as demos.

Tell us more about "Maybe Baby".

At the time I think I just wanted to write something that sounded a bit different from the other songs I had been writing at the time. Everything in life was feeling too comfortable and content, things were just going a little too well. So I just freaked out, I think I am most scared of living an unfulfilled life and thats what "Maybe Baby" is about. Settling down too early and not tearing it up enough and then one day looking around and being like 'how the fuck did I get here?'

How is the album coming along?

Very well thanks! I have two more songs to produce and then I’m going to spend all my winter days drinking wine and being a leisurely lady.

What should we expect?

I think it sounds quite different from the EP actually, it goes more along the lines of my previous song "Life Worth Living" I would say. Lots of beachy guitars and beats... someone recently told me they think I’m 'sad girl indie’ haha, so I guess imagine a girl crying in the sun on Venice Beach.

When can we expect it?

Spring next year!!! Hopefully I don’t get a crazy form of writer's block before these last two songs get done.

Are you working with anyone or keeping the DIY style?

Yep just me again. I just don’t really enjoy working with other people to be honest. I’m a bit of a loner when it comes to making music. I find having other people around me makes me invert rather than help me express creativity. My mum says I’m just a control freak. Probably right.

What's next?

I’m going on tour around the UK on 23 November so pretty stoked about that. Then obviously it's Christmas and who cares about anything else when its Christmas? Yay!

What are your plans for 2017?

No plans, life is too unpredictable for plans, just gonna see what comes at me.