FEATURE: Wilmington's Lauds Debut with 'Imitation Life,' a Reflective, Shadowy, & Uplifting Dream Pop Reckoning

[Repost from Atwood Magazine; by Mitch Mosk, May 18, 2023]

A collection of radiant reckonings set to a soaring dream pop soundtrack, Lauds’ debut album ‘Imitation Life’ is a spirited record of self-reflection and discovery on the road to cathartic enlightenment.

Listening to Lauds’ debut album is a bit like running a marathon, and after 26 miles, finally seeing the finish line up ahead on the horizon. You’re still in the thick of it – mind focused on each breath, body dripping with sweat, legs pretty much working on autopilot at this point – but relief is coming. You’ve found that beacon of light in the darkness, and it’s getting closer and closer with every passing second. Soon, you’ll be free. Soon, you’ll be at peace.

In Lauds’ case, the marathon is the stretch of time known as our 20s, and the finish line is a sense of place, belonging, comfort, and contentment in the world. Most of us are still figuring out what it means to be, let alone what it means to be here now, but it’s easy to feel like everyone else has their lives figured out while you’re only pretending. Even so, the Wilmington, North Carolina-based band seems to trust that things will work out for the best; that we all eventually sort out these rhetorical, nagging questions of purpose and identity, make peace with our inner demons, and find our own personal meanings for being alive. There is a light in this darkness… There is a light that never goes out.

A collection of radiant reckonings set to a soaring dream pop soundtrack, Lauds’ Imitation Life is a spirited record of self-reflection and discovery on the road to cathartic enlightenment. We may or may not ever find true nirvana, but at least we’re trying – asking the questions, searching our souls for answers, and putting in the work.

Released January 20, 2023 via Wilmington-based indie label Fort Lowell Records, Imitation Life is a soaring, stunning, and utterly soul-stirring deep dive into life itself. Marrying dazzling dream pop with visceral post-punk, jangle-pop, and noughties indie rock, Lauds’ debut album is as dazzling as it is dynamic and as enchanting as it is exhilarating: A rollercoaster ride of emotionally-charged sonics and sonically-charged emotion.

Active since 2023, the five-piece of co-songwriters J. Holt Evans III and James McKay Glasgow, bassist Gavin Campbell, multi-instrumentalist Boyce S. Evans, and drummer Ross Page have found their niche in a lush, blissed-out sound that recalls such alternative greats as The Cure, The Smiths, Slowdive, and The Chameleons. The found that strong footing over the past few years, releasing two EPs EPs (2021’s Lauds and 2022’s II) that effectively set the scene for what would ultimately result in their first LP (select tracks off both EPs are also present on the album as well).

“I think that each of the EPs we put out kind of showcased different aspects of our sound,” Lauds’ J. Holt Evans explains. “We wanted the record to capture all of those elements, while also highlighting the advances me and McKay felt like we were making as songwriters and collaborators… After the release of our second EP on Fort Lowell we really wanted to push ourselves to make a cohesive artistic statement as a band, and thought that putting out a record was the way to do that.”

“Part of the reason we used earlier releases on the album was because it made the album feel more cohesive sonically and thematically,” McKay Glasgow adds. “A lot of the songs on this record were written at a similar time but recorded or reworked over longer periods. We wanted the songs to be different enough from each other where it didn’t feel monotonous but, like many of our favorite albums, we wanted them to have an overall sonic landscape that is recognizable from song to song. Some people don’t like that similarity in a bands music, but we do.”

Imitation Life arrived at the top of this year on the heels of a singles campaign that saw Lauds teasing out the songs “24” and “Somehow” – two standouts that highlight Lauds’ musical spark and their lyrical prowess.

“Are we up? Know what’s recommended. hit the pavement, sparks contended, but I’m not sure that I’m who I was before,” Evans sings, his voice a seductive hush complemented by glistening guitar riffs, driving drums, and immersive, spellbinding synth work. “Just fake it, you’ll make it, I know what to say,” he goes on to sing in the chorus. “I trusted you, but I can’t see it written in the sky.“

“It’s about overcoming anxiety and self-doubt and showcases a haunting keyboard line that chases along throughout the song,” Evans says. “I wrote it in grad school a few weeks before my 25th birthday and now looking back on the lyrics at 27 I hear myself expressing frustration about trying to break free from the vices that kept pulling me down at the time. Musically ’24’ features jangly interwoven guitar melodies and a pulsing rhythm section characteristic of the Lauds sound. My inspiration for the track was to sound like New Order covering ‘Boys of Summer’ by Don Henley. I’m not sure we got there but I’m proud of where we ended up.”

Glasgow even goes so far as to call “24” his all-time favorite Lauds song. “To me this song captures the emotional vibe of the album,” he shares. “There’s a determination to figure things out even with all the internal insecurity. I think it’s relatable, even though the lyrics are at times pretty abstract. It’s somber but uplifting and the synth and guitar parts really vibe with those themes.”

Of equal note is the album’s beautifully cathartic and captivating finale, “Misplace a Night,” a tender harmony-laden exhale whose Tristan Turner-directed music video is premiering today on Atwood Magazine. “I think it’s about feeling warm and safe holding someone you care about the next morning,” says Evans. “You still have the feelings of anxiety and regret but they’re overwhelmed by a feeling of peace and belonging.”

If this album really is all about finding our personal guiding lights and coming to terms with life’s ambiguity and emotional turmoil, then “Misplace a Night” concludes the record with a breathtaking moment of that long-sought after peace of mind. Tranquility is temporary and serenity is fleeting, but for a second – or rather, for four minutes – it feels like Lauds have finally found what they’ve been looking for all along.

Of course, those goalposts shift quickly and our inner voice never shuts up entirely, so there’s plenty more existential introspection and reckoning to be done, but with their debut album, Lauds have truly lit an intimate, resonant, and reverb-drenched fire. From its bookends “Parallel” and “Misplace a Night” to the charmingly contemplative “Rust,” the propulsive, pulsing “Don’t Mind,” and of course the utterly intoxicating and absorptive “24,” Imitation Life is an endlessly inspiring and invigorating listen.

Get lost in Lauds’ debut album below, and get to know the band even better in our intimate interview with McKay Glasgow and J. Holt Evans III where we discuss the genesis of Imitation Life, the music scene in Wilmington, the benefits of brooding music, and more!

A CONVERSATION WITH LAUDS

ATWOOD MAGAZINE: LAUDS, CAN YOU SHARE A LITTLE ABOUT THE STORY BEHIND THIS RECORD?

McKay Glasgow: Lauds started when Holt and I met because I had recorded an album with his dad before. We roped Holt’s youngest brother, Boyce into the mix on drums. Short term he also played third guitar and strings for some shows and then we got our buddy Gavin to play bass even though he’s still the best guitar player in our band. That’s always a hard sell. We also recruited Color Temperature’s Ross Langdon Paige to play drums at one point but he moved to Brooklyn and we went back and have stuck with the four piece of me, Holt, Boyce, and Gavin. Other friends have filled in for shows at points and our pal Jeff Corkery, aka Dulce Hombre, co-wrote the song Distant Images on the album and has been a big collaborator with artwork etc. It’s been a labor of friendship and a lot of Holt and I arguing. At points other people have gotten involved arguing. Holt’s dad engineered the record and helped when the arguments were going nowhere.

J. Holt Evans III: Would agree with that. Lauds started as an outlet for me and McKay’s songs and has become a real band I guess over time. We put out some singles while I was back and forth between Chapel Hill and Wilmington for grad school and were excited when James Tritten approached us about releasing an EP with his label Fort Lowell Records. After the release of our second EP on Fort Lowell we really wanted to push ourselves to make a cohesive artistic statement as a band and thought that putting out a record was the way to do that.

WHAT WAS YOUR VISION GOING INTO THIS RECORD, AND DID THAT CHANGE OVER THE COURSE OF RECORDING THIS?

Glasgow: We definitely didn’t want to rush. We took our time with all of the stuff we have put out. Part of the reason we used earlier releases on the album was because it made the album feel more cohesive sonically and thematically. A lot of the songs on this record were written at a similar time but recorded or reworked over longer periods. We wanted the songs to be different enough from each other where it didn’t feel monotonous but, like many of our favorite albums, we wanted them to have an overall sonic landscape that is recognizable from song to song. Some people don’t like that similarity in a bands music, but we do.

Evans: I think that each of the EPs we put out kind of showcased different aspects of our sound and we wanted the record to capture all of those elements while also highlighting the advances me and McKay felt like we were making as songwriters and collaborators.

WHAT'S THE MUSIC SCENE IN WILMINGTON LIKE, AND HAS IT IMPACTED YOUR SOUND OR SONGS IN ANY WAY?

Glasgow: The music scene in Wilmington is really fun right now. Bands on SUCK ROCK Records are great: Doggy Day Care, Lawn Enforcement, Ridgewood etc. and some new venues have opened up that have brought renewed energy and excitement to the scene. There is definitely a punk/ DIY ethos to a lot of the younger bands. We like our friend Colin’s band Spiral alot. Similar songwriting to us but spikier and more abrasive.

I definitely think the coastal scenery makes its way into our songs, most obviously on songs like “Sandpiper” (from the Lauds EP), but even on this record on tracks like “Somehow.” The music isn’t beachy to us, but we all grew up by the ocean and have a lot of experiences around the ocean so it makes its way into the music. I love to surf and fish and I got Holt pretty into surfing while he was living in Wilmington. I like to think that some elements of surf rock on the track “Distant Images” may have been influenced by that.

Evans: To me “Distant Images” sounds more like Lauds on a carnival cruise excursion… Wilmington has a unique energy to it that I feel like made its way onto the record. Downtown is old and cobble-stoney and sits right on the river. It really comes alive at night and definitely becomes the go-to haunt for everyone in our band on weekends. The city lake is a wild place that’s essentially a gator-infested swamp and I did a lot of my writing for the album while house sitting for a buddy who lives next to it. The back cover of the record is a picture I took of algae and moss on the lake.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE DREAM POP / SHOEGAZE / POST-PUNK GENRES THAT INITIALLY ATTRACTED YOU TO THEM?

Evans: My dad played the first two U2 records too many times for me in the car on the way to basketball practice as a kid and probably created a monster. I think I always loved the way the guitars and drums seemed to be propelling those songs without necessarily being like distorted classic rock. Getting older and starting to play guitar I realized it wasn’t much of a stretch to learn how to play some of my favorite Joy Division, Bauhaus, Swell Maps riffs etc. I think it was always an energy thing though. I’ve always wanted to write upbeat songs and we’ve always wanted to be an upbeat band.

WERE ANY BANDS FROM THAT SPACE YOUR 'GUIDING LIGHT' OR AN INSPIRATION AS YOU WENT ABOUT FINDING LAUDS' OWN SOUND THESE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS?

Evans: For sure. I didn’t get obsessed with shoegaze until like my late teens but the combination of noise and pretty melodies created by bands like Ride really appealed to me when I was first starting to write what would become some Lauds songs in grad school. Honestly that band is a massive influence on us. A record like Going Blank Again is a pinnacle of rock music to me. Noisy but immediate and irresistible songwriting. Awesome rhythm section with two incredible songwriters in Andy Bell and Mark Gardener. Deerhunter have that as well with Bradford and Lockett Pundt. It’s definitely something McKay and I aspire to.

NOW SPEAKING ABOUT THE ALBUM SPECIFICALLY, WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT THE SOUNDS YOU WERE ABLE TO ACHIEVE ON THIS RECORD? WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT THE LAUDS LISTENING EXPERIENCE?

Evans: I think we are really proud of just the vibe that we were able to capture with the production on Imitation Life. We love chorus and reverb and probably always will but I think with the help of Holt II in the studio we were able to find a balance to where the guitar melodies and vocals can carry the songs without over-reliance on effects. Sometimes we get labeled as a “retro” band or whatever and I can’t stand that. We really wanted to avoid cliches like adding crazy compressed snares, warbly chorus, etc. that are hot right now and focus on the strength of riffs and songwriting to make the album a cohesive experience for the listener that doesn’t sound dated.

WHY THE TITLE “IMITATION LIFE”?

Evans: It’s a line that I sing on the song “Distant Images.” I didn’t have a lot of direction in my life when we were recording the album and had a lot of decisions ahead of me regarding my future and too much free time. I think the phrase came about from hours scrolling posts/stories and seeing friends that looked like they already had their lives figured out in their 20s. It’s a totally ridiculous and cynical response, kind of lashing out and (unfairly) ascribing their happiness to just making choices that imitate what society says is a “good life.” I pitched it to the guys and they liked it, but in hindsight I realize it was just an expression of pure jealousy. [laughs]

HOW DO YOU FEEL IMITATION LIFE INTRODUCES LAUDS AND CAPTURES YOUR ARTISTRY?

Glasgow: This album is something we feel really proud about. It took a long time to finish but we were able to put a lot of thought into every part of these songs. We definitely overthought some of it too! haha. But often doubt and disagreement are part of the process to make it good. We sifted material and let go of some songs, but we found a shared vision for these 10. It captures the best of where we’ve been as a band so far.

“MISPLACE A NIGHT” IS THE LAST TRACK ON THE ALBUM. WHAT IS THIS SONG ABOUT TO YOU, AND WHY END THE ALBUM WITH IT?

Glasgow: To me the song is about staying out too late and then overthinking about how one spends their time to the point of toxicity.  It’s about ‘wasting’ time doing something that probably isn’t going to pay the bills but is often fun or challenging.  It’s also about being nervous before shows, wondering if anyone is coming, and realizing that people really don’t care that much about you but they do want a good time from you. When we were all living in town, we had many nights out, drinking beers and wondering why we fill the time out of our busy lives to stay up this late. And we had a blast doing it and are still very much at it although things get more complicated as we seem to keep accruing more and more responsibilities.

HOW DO YOU FEEL THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR “MISPLACE A NIGHT” ELEVATES THE TRACK? HOW, TO YOU, DOES IT ADD TO THE SONG'S EXPERIENCE?

Glasgow: This video essentially shows us misplacing several nights around Wilmington, haha, sometimes in rather unfavorable weather. There is also some footage from shows scattered in there and practices in our space. We really let the videographer, Tristan Turner, have free reign to just come hang with us in different places we enjoy. We threw out a couple words, ‘southern’, ‘gothic’, “shadowy” and Tristan nailed it while tying in some of his own themes with the overlays and cool framing. We didn’t want it to focus on who we are as much as the places and vibe. Watching it feels like you are sort of getting lost in the night with this random cast of characters. That’s what shows felt like, especially during the period when we wrote this song.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO OPEN THE RECORD WITH “PARALLEL”?

Glasgow: I feel like the conventional wisdom is that the American attention span dictates that you put your catchiest pop song first on an album, but figured if we were going to lose people on the slow build up to the intro of this track, we had to live with it. It just felt like the opener to us. It eases in and goes out with a bang. The following track picks up the pace quickly from there.

I KNOW A LOT OF THESE SONGS WERE ORIGINALLY RELEASED ON YOUR PREVIOUS EPS; WHICH OF THESE ARE YOU PROUDEST TO HAVE ON YOUR FULL-LENGTH ALBUM?

Glasgow: We chose the 5 previous releases strategically, largely based on when they were written and how they meshed with the 5 “new” tracks. I personally feel proud that “Cedee Lamb” made the cut because it was a song we had to rework and even considered dropping at one point. We finally got it right and it fits well as a darker track instrumentally and thematically.

On the sunnier side, we really thought about not including our first single “Don’t Mind” because it was the pop song people who came to our shows really knew and were ‘too familiar with,’ but some older, wiser heads were basically like, “in reality, no one has heard your music and that song should be on there.” And that was the right call.

AT THE SAME TIME, WHICH OF YOUR NEWEST SONGS ARE YOU MOST EXCITED TO HAVE OUT THERE?

Glasgow: I really love “24.” To me this song captures the emotional vibe of the album. There’s a determination to figure things out even with all the internal insecurity. I think it’s relatable, even though the lyrics are at times pretty abstract. It’s somber but uplifting and the synth and guitar parts really vibe with those themes.

AS A LYRICALLY FORWARD BAND, DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE LYRICS IN THESE SONGS?

Glasgow: I really like Holt’s verses on “24,” particularly the one that starts, “I wake up and taste the sun outside…” When I heard that lyric I knew what he meant and it gave a good feeling. I also have grown to appreciate verse 2 of “Ceedee Lamb,” “a sudden tugging on the dusty strings. There a mad dog wild and running off his leash.” That kind of imagery appeals to me because those images are rather benign but with that instrumentation you get a sense of the desperation of someone’s fragile self image coming unhinged. I feel like we had a pretty good grasp on the language we used on the album and didn’t try to overstep lyrically. We like psychology and we wrote about our own small experiences in an honest way.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE LISTENERS TAKE AWAY FROM IMITATION LIFE? WHAT HAVE YOU TAKEN AWAY FROM CREATING IT AND NOW PUTTING IT OUT?

Glasgow: I hope they enjoy the experience of listening to it. I hope there are some moments in the songs that give them a good feeling or maybe even remind them of something in themselves they want to think on. The album is brooding, but there are many uplifting moments. It’s full of generally optimistic reflections.

LASTLY, WHO ARE YOU LISTENING TO THESE DAYS THAT YOU WOULD RECOMMEND TO OUR READERS?

Evans: We are loving new music out of North Carolina right now. Wednesday and MJ Lenderman’s rise has been fun to watch. The entire band really loves Rat Saw God. We’re also really looking forward to the upcoming record from Truth Club, as well. On my end l’ve just been listening to a lot of heavier shoegaze stuff and a lot of extreme metal.

My girlfriend lives in Denver, CO right now and I’ve just been freebasing Denver bands most days: Blood Incantation, Spectral Voice, Primitive Man etc. Primitive Man, and Full of Hell’s split record has been my AOTY so far. Would also be remiss if I didn’t mention the Extra Life EP by that band Crushed. Has gotten A TON of plays from me. The song “Milksugar” is an absolute banger.

— —

stream/purchase Imitation Life here ::

Lauds; by Eric Glidden

Lauds 'Imitation Life'

[Repost from Take Effect; by Tom Haugen, May 16, 2023]

Rating: 10 / 10

A North Carolina outfit who sound right at home in England in the early to mid ‘80s, Lauds make the sort of dreamy, punky, shoegazey pop that’s drenched in reverb, is sonically introspective and dark in a noisy sort of way.

“Parallel” opens the listen with a dream-gaze meets post-punk spirit that’s melodic, ethereal and even slightly jangly like your favorites from way back when, and “Somehow” follows with swirling guitars and a lush climate that would sound right at home on a mixed tape with The Smith and New Order.

At the midpoint, “Don’t Mind” offers scrappy musicianship with hazy singing and plenty of warm atmosphere, while “Rust” flows with a dream-pop prettiness that’s got a brooding tone.

Further yet, “Distant Images” is a swift and buzzing display of alt-rock fuzziness that comes with a surf rock solo, and “Misplace A Night” exits with an echoey intimacy and emotive outpouring.

Lauds is made up of Gavin Campbell, Boyce S. Evans, J Holt Evans III, James McKay Glasgow, and Ross Page, which are probably names you don’t know. If you do, however, know the names Robert Smith, Johnny Marr, Siouxie Sioux or Andy Bell, well, Imitation Life just might be your new favorite record.

Travels well with: Too Much Joy- Mistakes Were Made; Desario- Signal And Noise

Will's Band of the Week: Lauds

[Repost from Will's Band of the Week; April 30, 2023]

Will and Jason discuss new releases by Lauds, Ulrika Spacek, and Cindy, plus a death of the week and bonus songs.

LISTEN HERE:

Graded on a Curve: Lauds, Imitation Life

[Repost from The Vinyl District; by Joseph Neff, February 9, 2023]

The 5-piece Lauds hail from Wilmington, NC and Imitation Life is their debut album, its ten songs emanating from the indie pop, jangle pop, and ’80s Alt-rock zone, with the playing energetic and lean. It’s unusually strong for a debut, and what it lacks in originality is more than made up for with the focus and drive of the whole. The 135 gram vinyl in a hand numbered limited edition of 100 appears to be sold out, but hopefully Fort Lowell Records will order a repress. In the meantime, the digital is available on Bandcamp.

Lauds consists of Gavin Campbell, Boyce S. Evans, J Holt Evans III, James McKay Glasgow, and Ross Page. Glasgow and Evans III are the songwriters, with the former a guitarist and lead vocalist and the latter serving as multi-instrumentalist and lead vocalist on three tracks. Amongst their cited inspirations are The Cure, Slowdive, Ride, Chameleons, and Siouxsie and the Banshees. To the band’s credit, they avoid leaning too heavily on any one influence.

Opener “Parallel” does go heavy on the Anglo jangling, the guitars crisp as the track’s progression is full of swelling beauty, as Glasgow’s vocals deepen the Brit aura without going for a full-on imitative trip. “Somehow” follows, the vocals airy a la dream pop and the playing urgent, giving the Cure-like guitar figures a dose of the ol’ shoegaze.

With Evans taking a turn at the mic, the singing is even breathier in “24,” as a rouge ’80s keyboard gets thrown into the mix, conjuring visions of nursing a fountain soda in a mall food court while perusing a copy of Smash Hits. But Lauds smartly retain their intensity in the song, which keeps the attack focused, as “CeeDee Lamb” grows increasingly raucous, and during the post-punkish guitar soloing, reaches the border of downright heavy.

The guitar at the start of “Don’t Mind” reminds me a bit of The Bats and The Clean from New Zealand, but once the vocal comes in, the sound is pure ’80s UK. The same can be said for “Wasted Hours,” which opens side two, but in Lauds’ favor, the song doesn’t recall any particular band as it unwinds, with the stomping beat in the chorus and the guitar textures late in the track (and how they mingle with the keyboards) quite appealing

“Rust” settles into a jangled-out glide, and then “Distant Images” kicks it back into high gear, with the sturdy gallop of the rhythm another differentiating factor in Lauds overall sound (that is, the music here is tangibly punchier than many of their stated influences). “Wait Forever” delivers more adrenalin rush jangle, while “Misplace a Night” downshifts for the close, injecting a bit of Clientele-like airiness into the beginning before adjusting to a thrust that’s reminiscent of something out of late ’80s Manchester.
As said, Lauds aren’t inventing anything new with Imitation Life, but the album is a series of inspired variations on well-loved styles. It rolls from start to finish, a fully formed debut oozing promise for the future.

GRADED ON A CURVE:
A-

Wasted Hours: A Brief Review Of The New Album From Lauds

[Repost from A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed; by Glenn Griffith, February 7, 2023]

The debut full-length from North Carolina's Lauds is one of those kinds of records I love to get enthused about. Readers of this site for the last 15 years ought to know that I only write about things I can get a bit enthused about, and, as I've seen, my regular contributors operate from a same POV. Imitation Life from Lauds is the kind of thing that makes me want to rave. It's so expertly crafted and right up the alley of a listener like me, that I'm surprised that I only just now heard about this band.

"Somehow" manages to sound like early R.E.M., if R.E.M. had been intent on copying Cure riffs, while "24" offers a neat juxtaposition of chiming guitars and sleek keyboards. The clash between those styles powers so much of what's great on Imitation Life, but songwriters J. Holt Evans lll and Mckay Glasgow find a way to steer this material into interesting places. "Don't Mind", a moody highlight here, conjures up memories of early Wire Train and a faint hint of the kind of soaring guitar-pop that powered The Wild Swans into the hearts of listeners some decades ago. Lauds make this seem fresh, not just nostalgic, and the cut has a real natural charm.

There's likely going to be an inclination on the part of listeners to Lauds to frame the music on Imitation Life in comparsion to earlier college rock bands from the South. And while "Wasted Hours" nods in the direction of early Connells (and R.E.M.'s "Driver 8"), the sound here is robust enough to stand on its own. Still, I'd be a fool not to name-check the bands I've mentioned above, because by comparing this music to that earlier stuff, I've let you know just how good this Lauds record is. Moody and introspective in tone, this is American jangle-rock of the highest caliber.

Imitation Life by Lauds is out now via Fort Lowell Records.

PICK OF THE DAY: Lauds 'Imitation Life'

[Repost from Small Albums; January 30, 2023]

OUR RVW: “A blanket the size of a skyscraper placed in a bunch like a handful of picked, dark purple raspberries unloaded into a wheelbarrow.”

A cloth drill boring into a soft tooth, cleansing the area, removing decay, hope.

Without pain.

The swirling of the threads, overlapping in excessive speed weaving throughout the rot, and rubble, relief. 

Quiet calm, as the cave in the center of the clay-like bone opens wide to reveal the hollowed cleanliness of a new moment. 

You can hear it in the triumph of the driving drums in “Wasted Hours,” a perfected definition of Lauds sound, in wide-open, hopeful, interlocking parts and places. McKay Glasgow and J Holt Evans, began this project as a songwriting partnership which has morphed into an entirely massive sound, incorporating musicians to help fill and create an atmosphere that settles under and through each song and sound. The congruence in the feel of this album is wholly cohesive, while each of the songs live in their own rooms and apartment numbers, nearby, same building, individual. 

There’s an endlessness to the tangles of electric guitars that sweep and crest and dive and lift, and the sound, the tone feels infinite. Glasgow and Evans share majority of credit for the guitars on this album, and by the sound of it, the two have developed a language within the way the strings and chords mesh together, split apart and walk parallel paths, only to re-cross and peak like spires standing as marble columns up into the heavens, clouds coating the ornate tops, so we can only see momentary glimpses of all the sound actually represents. 

Lauds works in never-ending sound, while sprinkling microscopic details along the way to keep the pace and atmospheric latitudes stretching and growing. 

It’s one of those tiny capsules you place in water, and the shell dissolves to reveal a sponge that expands into a shape of a duck or a dinosaur, but this sponge continues growing until it overtakes the sink, then the room, then the floor, then the house, and out the windows, into the garden and up into the sky. 

Vocally, Glasgow heads up the majority of the singing and delivery, while Evans appears on a handful of tracks, leading and directing. The two work in a catty-corner similarity, delivering their own slice from the same surprise fruit cut from the branches of a shaded tree. Glasgow gleams a little more up front, with a voice sailing over the top of the shifting ships of guitars and bass. See “Somehow,” where Glasgow calls that title out in such a way that a plane could fly through clouds, but the fluffed storm stirrers never touch the sides of the metallic needle threading through. 

Evans, on tracks like “Distant Images” and “Misplace a Night,” buries the vocals a few inches under the soil, about the distance down to place vegetable seeds. The sprouts peek up quickly, but there’s a bit more between the ears and the lyrics. The guitars swirl up and above, drawing the words like a tempest capturing truths and secrets in between spinning haze. 

Musically, Lauds holds to the direction started as “Parallel,” leads in, and never relents all the way through. A sound like this could become monotonous in the wrong hands and fields of vision, but not here. Each musician and piece works in extreme conditions to make sure definitions are recorded and placed in order to never lose a moment to a wash of sound. 

The tiny pecking beak on the piano as an example on, “Ceedee Lamb,” which also features a Small Albums favorite Ross Page, the mastermind behind “Color Temperature.” Page accurately drives the sound of this shallow, lilac colored puddle as the piano and the guitars gently break in a breeze. There’s hints of something else to keep the sound lined like metal edging to hold the lawn together. 

It feels across the entirety of the album like Glasgow and Evans, who hold the majority of instrumental credits on the album, see everything through a specific scope, and direct from that singular vantage point. Other instrumentalists are brought in to provide opportunity for different tracks, but everything is held in the hands of the soundscape sculptors and there is no room for a hint of the directive. 

While the washes of sound really define the backgrounds, and the guitar work prominently leads the whole of this, the melody writing reveals such an expertise, that at times the perfection of guitars and the hooks and vocals are so interesting and well thought out that the songs can divide the brain in two places at once to keep track of everything mapping out. 

Lauds as an entire entity, offers something spacious and easy to immediately get into, while moving the target gently so the focal point is hard to find, but that’s a good thing, because you need every element here to create the mass of an elemental table that Lauds is after, in developing an outer space all their own. 

(Fort Lowell)

Lauds - Imitation Life

[Repost from De Krenten Uit De Pop; by  Erwin Zijleman, January 25, 2023]

Er verschijnen deze week flink wat prima gitaarplaten, maar het debuutalbum van de Amerikaanse band Lauds springt er met veelkleurig gitaarwerk en heerlijk nostalgische songs voor mij uit

Imitation Life, het debuutalbum van de Amerikaanse band Lauds, is direct vanaf de eerste noten een feest van herkenning. De band uit North Carolina laadt zich inspireren door de crème de la crème van de Britse new wave en postpunk en gooit er nog wat invloeden uit de Amerikaanse janglepop en uit de dreampop en shoegaze overheen. Het levert een wat nostalgisch klinkend album op, maar het is ook een album waarvan je alleen maar heel erg vrolijk kan worden. Lauds strooit driftig met even aanstekelijke als mooie gitaarakkoorden, maar ook de postpunk ritmesectie en de dromerige zang dragen nadrukkelijk bij aan het fraaie eindresultaat. Wat een heerlijk album.

Ik weet niet heel veel over de Amerikaanse band Lauds. Wat ik weet is dat de band vanuit Wilmington, North Carolina, opereert en dat het deze week verschenen Imitation Life het debuutalbum van de band is. Het is een debuutalbum waar ik direct bij eerste beluistering smoorverliefd op werd en mijn liefde voor het album is sindsdien alleen maar gegroeid. 

De platenmaatschappij van de band komt op de proppen met een imposante waslijst aan vergelijkingsmateriaal en het is een lijst waarop namen prijken van grote bands die met name de jaren 80 en 90 kleur gaven. Ik hoor niet alle genoemde namen terug bij beluistering van Imitation Life, maar met een mix van postpunk, jangle pop, American Underground, indierock, shoegaze en dreampop maakt Lauds inderdaad muziek die uitnodigt tot het noemen van namen. Het zijn namen die opduiken en vervolgens weer vervliegen, waardoor uiteindelijk vooral de naam van Lauds blijft hangen. 

Het debuutalbum van de Amerikaanse band is vooral een geweldige gitaarplaat. De geniale gitaarloopjes buitelen over elkaar heen in de tien songs op het album, maar het gitaarwerk van Lauds is ook verrassend veelkleurig. De band uit North Carolina heeft goed geluisterd naar het gitaarwerk van Johnny Marr bij The Smiths, maar kan ook uit de voeten met de onweerstaanbare gitaarloopjes uit de Amerikaanse janglepop. Hiernaast hoor je op Imitation Life ook nog de bedwelmende gitaarakkoorden uit de dreampop en worden af en toe voorzichtig shoegaze achtige gitaarmuren opgebouwd. Het wordt gecombineerd met diepe postpunkbassen en atmosferisch klinkende synths die zo lijken weggelopen uit de jaren 80. 

In muzikaal opzicht klinkt alles op Imitation Life even lekker, maar ook de zang op het debuutalbum van Lauds is niet te versmaden. Het is van die wat dromerige zang die zoveel jaren 80 albums typeert, waardoor Imitation Life wat nostalgisch kan klinken, maar de muziek van de Amerikaanse band is vooral heerlijk melodieus. 

De platenmaatschappij noemt zoals gezegd een heleboel namen van vooral Britse bands, maar de muziek van Lauds klinkt ook absoluut Amerikaans. Als ik zelf namen moet noemen kom ik met The Lotus Eaters, China Crisis, The Dream Academy en Lloyd Cole & The Commotions en ui de VS misschien The Feelies, maar net als alle andere genoemde namen gaan ze maar even mee, al is het maar omdat de songs van Lauds ook bijna altijd een postpunk vibe hebben. 

Imitation Life van Lauds is een album vol invloeden, maar het is boven alles een album om heel vrolijk van te worden. Direct vanaf de eerste noten vult de Amerikaanse band de ruimte met zonnestralen, waarna een flinke nostalgie en een beetje melancholie de feelgood luistertrip van Imitation Life compleet maken. 

Eerlijkheid gebiedt me te zeggen dat de eenvormigheid na een track of acht wel wat begint toe te slaan, maar dan zit het album er bijna op. Bij de volgende luisterbeurt klinkt het gelukkig weer net zo onweerstaanbaar als bij de allereerste beluistering, wat iets zegt over de kwaliteit van het debuutalbum van Lauds. Het is een debuutalbum dat verschijnt in een week met behoorlijk wat nieuwe releases, waaronder opvallend veel goede gitaarplaten, maar het debuut van de band uit North Carolina houdt zich verrassend makkelijk staande. Of Lauds de wereld gaat veroveren durf ik niet te voorspellen, maar met dit heerlijke album kan de band absoluut vooruit. Erwin Zijleman

De muziek van Lauds is ook verkrijgbaar via de bandcamp pagina van de platenmaatschappij van de Amerikaanse band: https://fortlowell.bandcamp.com/album/imitation-life.

Lauds: 24

[Repost from Destroy // Exist; January 24, 2023]

Lauds, a new band from Wilmington, North Carolina, have just released their debut album, Imitation Life, presented alongside the lead single, 24. The song, which is about conquering self-doubt and anxiety, is  a moody shoegaze number which features a menacing keyboard line that carries on for most of its duration.

"I wrote it in grad school a few weeks before my 25th birthday and now looking back on the lyrics at 27 I hear myself expressing frustration about trying to break free from the vices that kept pulling me down at the time," explains Holt, the band's lead guitarist.

"Musically 24 features jangly interwoven guitar melodies and a pulsing rhythm section characteristic of the Lauds sound. 

"My inspiration for the track was to sound like New Order covering Boys of Summer by Don Henley. I'm not sure we got there but I'm proud of where we ended up."

Over the past three years, Lauds, a mainstay of the Port City live music scene, has released three singles and two EPs. Their first full-length album finds them expanding their horizons and honing their dreampop sound.

Guitar-driven and dreamy: Lauds prepare debut LP show Saturday (Feb 4)

[Repost from Port City Daily; by Shea Carver, February 3, 2023]

WILMINGTON — It had been a morning mostly spent surfing, but by the afternoon J. Holt Evans III and James McKay Glasgow were on a couch noodling around on guitars and writing lyrics to a song that would eventually become “CeeDee Lamb.”

It’s one of 10 tracks from their band Lauds’ new LP, “Imitation Life,” released at the end of January. Evans and Glasgow’s four-piece, also consisting of Boyce Evans (keyboards, drums) and Gavin Campbell (bass), will perform Saturday night at Waterline as part of its official debut. 

“CeeDee Lamb” came together seamlessly, Evans said on a video call with Glasgow earlier this week. The chord progression fell into place, with a bassline pulsating under lead guitars that cascade the song like a waterfall of sound.

Lauds’ brand of music blends pop and rock, but also has a heavy new wave vibe, conjuring sounds of The Cure, Sonic Youth or Sousixie and the Banshees — all credited as Lauds’ influences.

The band’s music has been described as “dream pop” and “shoegaze post punk,” labels Glasgow and Evans don’t eschew.

“We’re not trying to be derivative, but everyone’s looking for inspiration,” Glasgow said. 

Instead, Lauds focuses on appealing to music lovers, not just listeners who subscribe their tastes to a streaming box of “jangle pop or shoegaze playlists.” 

“We consider ourselves a guitar band, really,” Evans said, one that leans into noise rock. “I’m obsessed with textures.”

And there are plenty to be heard on “Imitation Life”: raw, elongated and echoed riffs, ethereal chimes, clanking percussive elements, with hypnotic vocals backed by driving rhythms.

The song “CeeDee Lamb” was created in one day. It starts off with a chill mien before escalating into loud reverb guitar riffs like waves crashing on the surf.

“I don’t think we had any kind of preconceived ideas going into writing that song — it just happened quickly and was super fun,” Evans said.

It was a nice change of pace: to be in the same room, playing together. Lauds has been a long-distance endeavor mostly since its founding in 2019. Evans was finishing college at UNC-Chapel, and is now a pre-med student, while Glasgow lived in Wilmington, also working in the health field as a counselor for teens and playing music on weekends.

When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, Evans moved back to the Port City for a longer period of time, helping implement data collections for Eden Village, a neighborhood that provides residences for chronically homeless individuals. It also gave him an opportunity to partake in playing more with Glasgow.

“So we were able to really lock in and work on stuff — you know, the rubber meets the road, so to speak,” Evans said. “I think of McKay as my older brother in a lot of respects.”

The two met when Glasgow was recording 2018’s “Little Yellow House” with the local band Tumbleweed. The Americana three-piece worked with Evans’ father, Holt “Frank” Evans II, in his home studio, Plugpoint. 

An anesthesiologist who used to play in the Wilmington band The Hungry Mind Review in the early aughts, Evans II produced numerous records for local musicians, including Astro Boy and most recently The Paper Stars’ “Far Away.”

“I’m trying to be like him when I grow up,” Evans said of his dad. “He’s always been really encouraging.”

Evans and Glasgow kept in touch after Tumbleweed’s studio sessions, sharing music notes, building a friendship and an eventual musical partnership.

“I had this backlog of jangly indie and pop songs I’d been working on since college,” Evans said. 

So they started laying down the tracks, along with Evans brother, Boyce, on drums. Having access to Plugpoint at all times often came with endless hours behind a mixing board. The band’s first single,

“Don’t Mind,” was a drawn-out process to record compared to new songs on “Imitation Life,” Glasgow said.

“Lots of guitar tags, throwing everything at it — but it was a good learning experience,” he said. 

They would record multiple guitar tracks of mystical sounds and noise rock, to the point it got confusing when it came time to edit a song.

“One thing that we decided was, when we came to the studio [for the new record], we weren’t going to throw out 20 ideas,” Glasgow said.

Lauds’ first two EPs, “Lauds” and “II” each featuring four songs, were recorded in Pugpoint. The first was lo-fi, “a smaller listening experience,” Evans described, while the second showcased the band in a more expansive approach, with the addition of Ross Page on drums.

In 2020, they also released “Don’t Mind,” on Fort Lowell Records’ “GROW: A Compilation in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter.”

Whereas before they would stack the songs with four or five guitar parts, they’ve narrowed it down on “Imitation Life.” There are still plenty of abrasive textures, lots of keyboards and jaunty high-hats in the new songs. It took roughly six months to record; the band remastered five songs from its former EPs to flesh out the record.

“I feel like we’ve gotten way better at knocking parts out,” Glasgow said. “We spent a third of the time on these five new songs as we did our old ones. There’d be 30 tracks on the early songs. This time, it was much cleaner”

“I think that came from having unfettered access to a really awesome studio,” Evans added. “It’s almost like a double-edged sword.”

Evans II guided the group on what worked during production. Glasgow said he would nudge them to simplify something here or make an octave change there. 

“I think that that’s one of the things he does on purpose: He’s not going to do the work for us, but he’ll let us know, ‘Hey, that vocal melody does not work — there’s no click in that chorus,’” Glasgow described.

They brought in other musicians on the record, too, such as Jeff Corkery on guitars to include a surf rock solo on “Distant Images.”

Evans’ dad played keyboards on “Distant Images,” as well “Wasted Hours” and “Parallel.”

As the nuts and bolts of production were tightened, the camaraderie and songwriting connection between Evans and Glasgow also strengthened. Like “CeeDee Lamb,” other new songs were mostly written in a day, including “Somehow.” 

Evans said it speaks to the musicians’ personal tastes, as folk and pop awash in atmospheric echoes and layered riffs. 

“It has every element of stuff that excites us,” Evans said of “Somehow.” “It’s a pop song with really upfront vocals and noisy guitars, just kind of wailing and howling in the end. But it’s still really melodic.”

Both musicians contribute to songwriting equally and can’t decipher where one part originated and the other was edited on most tracks. Sonically, they’re entwined to create a sedative vibe and “crystallize” the best working parts of their four-year partnership.

“I do a lot of structuring of songs, Holt always has good leads,” Glasgow said. “But there’s definitely more cowriting going on even more on this record.”

The band’s most popular song, “Weekend,” appears on the EP “II.” It didn’t make it onto “Imitation Life.” 

“I did think if there was one song that we would have switched, it might have been that one,” Glasgow said. 

At the end of the day, they chose tracks that would provide cohesion, while also boosting the listenability of “Imitation Life.”

Some of their favorite bands, including Ride and Slowdive, have taken a similar approach: putting released singles or tracks from EPs on a finished LP. 

Lauds only perform a few times a year, but getting on stage is the payoff for the hard work in the studio.

“It’s the ultimate,” Evans said. “You want to see the music connect with people.”

“We’re not a touring band,” Glasgow said. “We’ve really tried to market ourselves to be a recording band that doesn’t play a ton of shows. The writing is the principal fun thing for me, but we would like to get some bigger shows and see what doors open up. Right now, we are playing with bands that we really like.”

The Lauds’ performance Saturday night will be a shared bill with Jenny Besetz out of Greensboro — a heavy, mood-rock five-piece. Evans said he’s been listening to them since high school.

“They’re incredible — super inspirational in terms of writing music and playing music, so it’s a crazy honor to be playing with them,” he said.

The concert is free and starts at 7 p.m. “Imitation Life” is available for purchase digitally here through Fort Lowell Records; there will be some vinyl releases of it for sale Saturday night as well.