New music to listen to this week: Laurel

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Laurel (Andrea Mae Perez)

East London-based artist Laurel is fast-earning praise thanks to a string of well-received live performances at festivals including Live At Leeds and Outlines.

The 24-year-old has been penning her own music for years and is now preparing to drop her debut album Dogviolet: songs she says were often written locked away for long periods of time, "to capture the true mania that comes from love; although a beautiful feeling, it can often feel a lot uglier."

Her songs are spine-tingling, attention-grabbing chamber pop that draws on the likes of Beach House, Florence & the Machine and a little of Chvrches; heady love songs that are filled with lyrics about passion, lust and jealousy.

Ahead of her album release, we're premiering not one, but TWO brand new tracks by Laurel: "Crave" and "Same Mistakes".

Check them out below:

"Same Mistakes"

"Crave"

Q&A with Laurel

What are you listening to at the moment?

My boyfriend swatting flies very enthusiastically in my house…but music wise a lot of Ezra Collective, I saw them play a tribute to Fela Kuti in an old church in Clapton the other day and it was phenomenal.

How's your 2018 so far?

Really amazing actually, I’ve done a lot of travelling, and actually spent enough time in places to experience them, unlike when I’m touring. It’s also nice to know this is the year my first album is coming out.

What are your plans for the rest of the year

Well the album is in august and then September I’m going on a 6 week European headline tour.

What was the first gig you ever played and what's been the best so far?

My first was at The Talking Heads in Southampton when I was 14, I had to sell 20 tickets to get another gig, it was pretty brutal actually. The best shows are probably my London headline shows, it's nice to have a home crowd and get to see my family and friends in the audience. I played Omeara last year, I would say that was pretty special.

'Dogviolet', the debut album from Laurel, is out on 24 August via Counter Records - see her live at the Dome in Tufnell Park, London on 4 October