Folklaur is the musical project and alias of singer/songwriter Lauren Elizabeth, who collaborates and records with her brother and producer, Justin Scott, at his studio in New York City. Folklaur pursued musical theatre and classical voice studies throughout her childhood and teenage years but quickly felt most comfortable writing her own songs on the guitar in empty basements and bedrooms. During her college years, she was a part of several student bands at Kenyon College in Ohio. She most recently performed with friends as part of an Americana cover band in Paris at locales such as the American embassy. Her music has been described as a “refreshing approach to indie-folk” with subtle echoes of 90s pop.
Folklaur is an outspoken advocate for mental health awareness, an important topic that hits close to home for both her and Justin. In the spring of 2020, they lost their father to suicide, inspiring her single, “At Sea”, in his memory. Her debut EP, Flight, was released earlier this month. The songs follow a cyclical shift between optimism and disappointment, hope and self-doubt.
“Seasonal” is the EP’s energetic closer that reminds us how the resilience of the past can carry us through the present. Combining guitar, bass, and synths, Justin creates a luminous indie-pop backdrop for the Folklaur’s vulnerable and soothing vocals. The lyrics traverse how a monotonous depression shifts throughout the year and at different stages of relationships. There’s a constant push-and-pull in the instrumental as well as the vocals – an acknowledgment of previous struggles and an acceptance of making it through those struggles. The seasonal shifts are accompanied by an increasingly bright message, backed by an increasingly bright instrumental. The song closes out on an optimistic note – a last line of “If I lived through it, then I will live through this” in the springtime, chirping birds, and a descrecendoing guitar solo.
You can listen to “Seasonal” and the rest of the songs on her new EP below.
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