Laurel
Background information
Birth nameLaurel Mae Arnell-Cullen
Born (1994-05-07) 7 May 1994 (age 29)
Southampton, England
GenresChamber pop, indie pop, synthpop, synthwave
Occupation(s)Musician, producer, singer
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, piano, synthesizer, bass, drums
Years active2013–present
LabelsNext Time Records, Theia, Counter Records, Ninja Tune
Websiteclassiclaurel.com

Laurel Arnell-Cullen,[1] better known as Laurel, is a British indie musician based in London. Laurel received critical acclaim for writing, recording and producing all her music in her bedroom studio in London.

Career

Laurel first caught interest from music bloggers in 2013 when she posted a demo for her song "Next time". Laurel released "Fire Breather" as her first official single, via her SoundCloud the same year.[2] Laurel released her debut EP, To The Hills, in 2014 via her own record label, Next Time Records.[3][4][5][6][7] In July 2015, Laurel released a finished version of her song "Blue Blood" which, in demo form had gained much attention with online blogs.[8][9]

In March 2016, Laurel released "Life Worth Living" which would be the first track of her debut album released 3 years later. Unlike her previous work, it featured a strong indie rock influence with a leading electric guitar. In May 2016, she then dropped a second single titled "San Francisco". This single earned her the place of Apple Music's first Artist of the Week. In August 2016, Laurel announced she had signed to Counter Records, a division of Ninja Tune Records and that she would be going on her first headline UK tour in November, in support of her EP, Park. "Hurricane" was released as the first single from Park in September 2016 and gained a lot of buzz from music bloggers and indie radio stations.[10]

In August of 2020, Laurel released “Scream Drive Faster” from her EP entitled “Petrol Bloom.” This represented a significant change in her musical style towards that of synthpop and synthwave, with more of a retro synth-based sound on her tracks, often similar to that of the 80s. She followed this up with “Best I Ever Had” in October of 2020 and “Appetite” in December of 2020, which is currently her most-viewed video on YouTube.

In spring of 2021, Laurel released another EP entitled “Limbo Cherry” from which she released the singles “You’re the One”, “Let Go” and “Wild Side”

Discography

Studio albums

Title Details
Dogviolet
  • Release Date: 24 August 2018[11]
  • Label: Counter Records

Extended plays

Title Details Track listing
To the Hills
  • Released: 7 April 2014[12]
  • Label: Next Time
  • Format: Digital download
  1. "To the Hills"
  2. "Nicotine Dreams"
  3. "Shells"
Holy Water
  • Released: 15 December 2014
  • Label: Next Time
  • Format: Digital download
  1. "I Forget"
  2. "Memorials"
  3. "Come Together" (feat. Sivu)
  4. "Holy Water"
Park
  • Released: 18 November 2016
  • Label: Counter Records/Ninja Tune
  • Format: LP, digital download
  1. "Maybe Baby"
  2. "Hurricane"
  3. "Too Far"
  4. "Goodbye" (Demo)
Petrol Bloom
  • Released: 3 December 2020
  • Label: Communion Group
  • Format: LP, digital download
  1. "Scream Drive Faster"
  2. "Best I Ever Had"
  3. "Appetite"
  4. "When You're Walking Away"
  5. "Sometimes"
Limbo Cherry
  • Released: 18 June 2021
  • Label: Communion Group
  • Format: Digital download
  1. "Let Go"
  2. "Obsessed"
  3. "You're The One"
  4. "Wild Side"
  5. "Drown in Sunlight"

Mixtapes

Title Details Track listing
Allelopathy
  • Released: 2 April 2015[13]
  • Label: self-released
  • Format: Digital download
  1. "Avena" (feat. FKA Twigs)
  2. "Juglans" (feat. Yung Gud)
  3. "Arctostaphylos" (feat. Yung Gud)
  4. "Laurocerasus" (feat. Yung Gud)
  5. "Rhus" (feat. Andru)

Singles

Title[14] Details Album
"Fire Breather"
  • Released: 6 January 2014
  • Label: Next Time
  • Format: Digital download
 —
"To the Hills"
  • Released: 17 March 2014
  • Label: Next Time
  • Format: Digital download
 To the Hills EP
"Shells"
  • Released: 20 October 2014
  • Label: Next Time
  • Format: Digital download
 To the Hills EP
"Memorials"
  • Released: 15 December 2014
  • Label: Next Time
  • Format: Digital download
 Holy Water EP
"Blue Blood"
  • Released: 8 July 2015
  • Label: Turn First
  • Format: Digital download
 —
"Life Worth Living"
  • Released: 11 March 2016
  • Label: Theia Recordings
  • Format: Digital download
 Dogviolet
"San Francisco"
  • Released: 6 May 2016
  • Label: Theia Recordings
  • Format: Digital download
 —
"Hurricane"
  • Released: 22 September 2016
  • Label: Counter
  • Format: Digital download
 Park EP
"Maybe Baby"
  • Released: 9 November 2016
  • Label: Counter
  • Format: Digital download
 Park EP
"Too Far"
  • Released: 16 November 2016
  • Label: Counter
  • Format: Digital download
 Park EP
"Lovesick"
  • Released: 9 May 2018
  • Label: Counter
  • Format: Digital download
 Dogviolet
"Same Mistakes"
  • Released: 27 June 2018
  • Label: Counter
  • Format: Digital download
 Dogviolet
"Crave"
  • Released: 27 June 2018
  • Label: Counter
  • Format: Digital download
 Dogviolet
"Adored"
  • Released: 22 August 2018
  • Label: Counter
  • Format: Digital download
 Dogviolet
"Scream Drive Faster"
  • Released: 11 August 2020
  • Label: Communion Group
  • Format: Digital download
 Petrol Bloom EP
"Best I Ever Had"
  • Released: 13 October 2020
  • Label: Communion Group
  • Format: Digital download
 Petrol Bloom EP
"Let Go"
  • Released: 12 May 2021
  • Label: Communion Group
  • Format: Digital download
 Limbo Cherry EP
"Wild Side"
  • Released: 25 June 2020
  • Label: Communion Group
  • Format: Digital download
 Limbo Cherry EP

References

  1. ^ Johnson, Gabriella. "Meet Laurel, the New Face of British Alt Pop". Vogue. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  2. ^ Cragg, Michael. "Laurel – Fire Breather: New music". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  3. ^ Leorne, Ana. "Laurel announces debut EP To The Hills, shares video for title-track". The Four Oh Five. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  4. ^ "Watch Laurel perform Blue Blood and To the Hills". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  5. ^ Unterberger, Andrew. "Stream Laurel's Ethereal 'Holy Water' EP". Spin. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  6. ^ Trott, Florence. "NEW NOISE: LAUREL". Wonderland Magazine. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  7. ^ McDermott, Emily. "DISCOVERY: LAUREL". Interview Magazine. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  8. ^ Bennett, Kim. "LISTEN TO LAUREL'S MAJESTIC NEW TUNE "BLUE BLOOD"". Vice. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  9. ^ Murray, Robin. "Listen: Laurel – 'Blue Blood'". Clash. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  10. ^ Wass, Mike. "Laurel Announces 'Park' EP, Drops New Single "Hurricane"'". Idolator. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  11. ^ "Listen to two brand new tracks from chamber pop artist Laurel ahead of her debut album release". The Independent. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  12. ^ "Laurel – To The Hills'". Amazon. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  13. ^ Oke, Tobi. "Premiere: Laurel's 'Allelopathy' Mixtape Is Otherworldly'". Complex Magazine. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  14. ^ "Laurel on iTunes". iTunes. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
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