There was a lot to like about Lauren Hurley when we met about four years back at WNHN. She arrived in studio hauling her acoustic guitar wearing denim bib shorts, black army boots, and she had this magnificent mane of hair half-covered by a baseball cap, worn backwards.
Quite the vision, to say the least.
Hurley, 24, who lived in the Lakes Region for many years before moving home to Methuen, Mass, came across as a highly inquisitive being with the uncanny ability to put you into a trance with her narratives about life and music.
Then angels flew from her lips as she played and sang and suddenly you’re sharing a vessel with Big Mama Thornton and Mazzy Gray as Lauren counts down..”two, three, four”…towards a slamming chorus of throaty beauty.
Lauren has a new self-titled EP out and it’s really good. Lauren finds her groove on “Cherry” and shakes it up on “You or the Moon.” “Wolf Eyes” is midnight pulp and “Lil Bunny” is a straight up hit.
Four for four, people! Check it out at:Â https://laurenhurley.bandcamp.com/album/2016-ep
Sound Check caught up with Lauren and learned, well, a whole about a lot of stuff.
1. You left NH about a year or more ago and moved back home to Methuen, Mass. How has that changed your music, if at all?
Living in the place I grew up for almost a year after 11 years of being in New Hampshire gave me greater perspective of the timeline of my life up to this point. It has allowed me to recall who I was then, how the decisions I made led me to where I am now, how I’ve changed, and what has stayed the same. I’m still writing in my notebook like I did when I was in 4th grade, still waking up with melodies in my head, still wanting to help people and express myself. I know myself better and I’ve had personal growth. As my consciousness expands, developing songs also evolves. I just moved back to NH this week.
2. On your new EP, simply titled, “Lauren Hurley 2016”, you seem to have fun with layers and the textures of the music, like on “Cherry.” Tell me about singing that song.
Singing “Cherry” is all about expressing the contrast of emotion when it comes to home. Whether it be a living situation, family, or having found home in another person, we sometimes have to dig into the farthest reaches of ourselves to overcome the pain and anger our home life stirs up in order to lift our hearts back into a place of feeling unconditional love. The melody of this song portrays the energy it takes to transform hurt feelings back into sweetness.
3. Are you a romantic at heart? Your lyrics indicate YES!
Yes. I was born like this.
4. How much does fashion play into your music?
Style is just another way I’ve always expressed myself. It has evolved drastically over the years as the music has. Just as the music is an authentic representation of me at the time I make it, so too is my style on any given day.
5. Do you enjoy the recording process?
Yes. For the 2016 EP we recorded all my parts in four hours. They are all live takes. Most of them are first takes. I wanted to release something raw and untouched as a rejection of the perfectly manicured standards that have come about in the digital age, and also to put out something that more accurately represents what I do live as I have made a manicured pop album in the past. I’ve worked with a number of talented producers on different projects over the years to whom I’m forever grateful, for the time they took with me, the fun we’ve had, and all that I’ve learned from them. What I’ve come to figure out is that because my music is very personal , my best recordings tend to be those I’ve made myself in privacy. Learning to produce myself is both challenging and gratifying, but that’s what i’m currently working on. I’d like to work with other people more in the future, but being able to do it myself is important to me.
6. What is one thing you like least about the music business?
Nowadays if you are a solo artist, starting from the bottom and you want to make it, you have to be everything to keep it going, a songwriter, performer, producer, social media marketer, merch creator, booking agent, manager, sound person, sales person, and promoter. In the midst of all that, you have to give people a spectacular reason to stay engaged for more than 15 seconds. It is difficult to escape all of the responsibilities of being a part of this business in order to focus on creating quality content that is worthy of listening to in an over saturated market where almost every song ever released is at your fingertips, and people move onto the next thing so quickly that before you can release something new, they think you’ve given up.
7. Is music your main priority in life or are there other passions you wish to pursue outside music?
I am passionate about helping the world heal & making people feel better. Playing music is the best way I know how so far. It gives me a sense of purpose and also helps me develop mentally and spiritually. It keeps me healthy and happy so, for now, it’s at the top of the list.
– Rob Azevedo
Rob Azevedo, from Manchester, has been hosting a weekly radio show called “Granite State of Mind” for the past three and a half years which showcases musicians from around New Hampshire and beyond.  “Granite State of Mind” is an hour long program that features artists performing live in-studio each week, now exclusively on WKXL. Azevedo also writes a weekly music column called “Sound Check” for the Concord Monitor and hosts a monthly “Artist in the Round” style series at New England College in Concord.
