Now residing in Brooklyn after a move from Atlanta, Caroline Lazar describes herself as a “sad girl indie singer/songwriter with a cat and a passion for avoiding human contact.” This month sees the release of Lazar’s debut EP, Honey, a collection six dreamy acoustic songs that allow her striking delivery to flourish.
The EP opens with ‘Georgia’, a song co-written with the album’s producer Reed Gaines that crafts a a tale of heartbreak from dreamy nostalgia. Sashaying through old memories and painful longing, the song is loss in its warmest, most translucent form, Lazar’s vocals a spoken croon that conveys a true sense of intimacy.
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 track=1290387546 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]
Stirring to life in the same hushed tone, ‘Parking Lots’ develops into something altogether more urgent, the slow-burning mood eventually catching as Lazar’s vocals stretch into a yell. ‘Chicago’ sees the energy increase further, knitting into an insistent rhythm that barrels forward with a sense of hope, making for a marked change from the backward-looking position of the previous tracks. Still, that’s not to say the track is without a certain sadness. “‘Chicago’ is a sad girl’s attempt at an optimistic love song,” Lazar explains, hinting at the shade of anguish that lurks beneath the wishful romanticism.
Could you let me just
See you, reach you
One more time and then I’ll know how to
Leave you, keep you
Off my mind on the plane home
I’ll let myself fall apart
For one more ride in your car
Wherever you want to- I do
[bandcamp width=100% height=120 track=3458995506 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]
The dreamy textures return on ‘Only One’, though the hazy atmosphere hides a set of teeth, before the leisurely soul of ‘Fill’ arrives, the track denaturing across its short length as guitar skitters across its face. All that’s left then is the title track to close, a piano-led ballad that strips away everything but the simplest emotion and Lazar’s vocals. The track’s lo-fi nature masks the richness at its heart, serving as a fitting conclusion to what is an impassioned and intimate release.
Honey is out now and available from the Caroline Lazar Bandcamp page.