Album Review: "Dogviolet" by Laurel

Hey guys!

Debut albums are a beautiful thing.

They are an introduction to an artist's sound, a glimpse of their vision and an insight into their stories.
It's actually super exciting, being able to dive into a new sound world, figuring out meanings behind certain songs, finding tracks that you can relate to and taking a thing or two away from listening to a record.

I'm sure while you were reading this, you thought about an album that did exactly what I described.

Luckily I get to listen to a lot of debut albums all the time and lucky for you - I'm always happy to share them with you.

Today we're all going on an emotional journey together, so I hope you're ready to listen to Laurel.


Artist: Laurel
Title: Dogviolet
Genre: Alternative
Label: Counter Records
Release Date: 24th August 2018


Laurel is a solo artist from London, UK.

Her sound combines different elements from different genres, creating a vivid and unique sound which could settle down for the Alternative title.

After releasing her latest EP "Park" in 2016, we've been hearing multiple singles to shorten the wait for "Dogviolet", Laurel's debut album.

Every track on the album was written and recorded in Laurel's home studio in East London. Later it was taken to Gizzard Studios and now it's in our hands and our ears - ready to be heard.

Laurel says about the album "I wrote these songs at home often locking myself away for periods of time in order to capture the true mania that comes from love; although a beautiful feeling, it can often feel a lot uglier."


So let's check it out!


Tracklist:
1) Life Worth Living
2) All Star
3) Same Mistakes
4) South Coast
5) Hold Tight
6) Adored
7) Sun King
8) Crave
9) Lovesick
10) Take It Back

11) Empty Kisses
12) Recover

Opener "Life Worth Living" enters the arena with a mysterious and dark vibe to it, making a bold and well expressed entrance.
The verses are kept as simple as they could be kept; Laurel's hauntingly beautiful vocals duet with the raw sounding guitar, which is being strummed in an effortlessly cool way.
Although kept so simple, you can feel the combination of vocals and guitar build up into the big chorus. A chorus that's going to stay in your head- percussions, bass, backing vocals and more guitar flare have been added and immediately give the song more grip.
All of those elements stay part of the song without ever making it sound cluttered, leaving you excited to hear what else the album has to offer.

 Fourth track on the album, "South Coast", is as dreamy as the imagination of walking along the south coast. It's a calm and atmospheric track, one that allows you to breathe and just be in the moment.
The calm and softly plugged electric guitar compliments the very present bass and Laurel's hypnotizing vocals. It's the kind of song you could have on repeat for an hour without getting bored of it. It offers enough details for you to get lost in.

"Adored" easily stands out, marking the halftime point with grit and a lot of electricity.
We're getting to hear a more aggressive side of the album, a straight-forward and boldly expressed emotion takes over and lets us listerners get to know Laurel's sound to its full extend.
With a voice that's so attention grabbing, it's no surprise that the musician can lead a track with confidence and certainty.


To sum it up: Whether it's the vulnerable and honest lyrics, the detailed instrumentals or Laurel's controlling and breathtaking vocals - "Dogviolet" is filled with reasons why this is one of the finest debuts of the year.


You should listen to these tracks: Life Worth Living, South Coast, Adored, Crave





- buy and/or stream "Dogviolet" here -



Laurel online: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Spotify | YouTube | Instagram






Thank you for your visit! 

Credits // Words: Vanessa Jetwash | Image: Laurel