If you haven’t already heard of Laura Elliott you should prepare yourself to develop a new favorite artist. Laura Elliott is a singer from Upstate New York with a sound similar to artists such as The Greeting Committee and Snail Mail. Elliott knows exactly how to provoke emotion in her listeners with her heartbreaking lyrics and well-accompanied instrumentals. Laura Elliott’s debut album, People Pleaser, is what I consider the heartbroken indie album we’ve all been waiting for.
We were able to get a sneak peek into some of the songs from the album within the last two years through the release of her singles “Better off Alone,” “Spaceman,” “Blue,” and “God Complex.”
People Pleaser gives us people-pleasers a true feeling of being understood when it comes to relationships. Touching on subjects of toxicity in relationships, the fear of being alone, and feeling as though your anxiety is holding you back.
“People Pleaser is sort of a timeline of my life and my healing process over the past three years after a pretty difficult time in my life,” says Laura. “I wanted to share all my ups and downs but end on a sort of positive note, because once I was able to get through that time, I was finally able to realize that everything’s going to be okay.”
The album starts off with “Better Off Alone,” a melodic tune with super soft guitar and gentle drums that could bring anyone comfort. The song perfectly starts out the album by talking about reminiscing on the positive aspects of a past relationship; fearing the thought of being alone and wishing her past lover would come back even though knowing deep down she’s better off alone. Elliott’s song “Fever Dreams” is another calming melodic tune describing the same scenario with a transition into a faster tempo and more upbeat chorus.
“God Complex,” my personal favorite, brings us through the anger and sadness felt when dealing with a toxic partner. The work is a perfect example of beautiful transitions. The song subverts expectations of being soft and inviting by starting out slow with a soft guitar melody and transitioning to a smooth crescendo into the chorus, truly allowing the listener to feel the frustration she had felt.
Her song “Garden” closes out the album, a super raw and vulnerable piano ballad highlighting the beauties and hardships of heartbreak. A perfect ending to the album as she’s able to tie all of her positive and negative experiences together and become aware that at the end of the day it’s okay to feel these emotions and that those experiences will help her become stronger.
People Pleaser has left me hungry for more music by Laura Elliott and is definitely an album I’ll have on repeat and hopefully, you will too.
In addition to releasing her new album, Laura will have a feature on Lizzy McAlpine’s upcoming album, dropping on April 8.
Laura’s People Pleaser album release show is on April 8 at the Mercury Lounge Mercury Lounge in NYC, with support from Shallow Alcove.
