Lauren Balthrop – Piece of Shit
“In this new single “Lauren Balthrop” puts in order some of her basic thoughts through a procedure of self evaluation. In many aspects of life we try hard to prove our value but -in fact- there’s no reason for all this effort. Music with attitude and lyrics of deep meaning.”
-Nagamag.com
Nashville-based folk-pop singer-songwriter Lauren Balthrop announced this morning the August 12 release of her sophomore album, Things Will Be Different via Olivia Records – [album presave]. With the news, she shares the first single, “Piece of Shit” with an accompanying animated lyric video
“Piece of Shit” was written at the beginning of the pandemic when Balthrop felt detached and uninspired. “It’s a very vulnerable song about low self-esteem,” she shared. “It’s about feeling like you have to prove your worth to everyone and at the same time knowing that that’s bullshit and it’s all in your head. The snarky first line, ‘why do I feel like a piece of shit all the time,’ encompasses the duel between self-rejection and self-acceptance.
A folk-pop singer-songwriter in the lineage of Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell, and Carole King, Lauren Balthrop makes captivating, candid music propelled by her crystalline voice and has been acclaimed by Stereogum, Paste, Under The Radar, No Depression, and more. A continuation of the title of her debut solo album, THIS TIME AROUND, Things Will Be Different is a dynamic folk-pop collection of 11 songs that examines nostalgia in all its brutal and benignly beautiful forms. Featuring open tuning, haunting string arrangements, and delicate vocal melodies, the songs reflect the depths of love lost, revealing Balthrop’s growth as an artist along the way: “This is the first record that feels entirely, fully my own. It’s about anxiety and heartbreak, and the millions of little moments that make up both. It’s about being stuck in the present but fixated on the past… and moving through to the other side.”
Reviewed by Nagamag on May 19, 2022