Liz Lawrence

U.K. musician Liz Lawrence has traded in breezy singer/songwriter pop and more angular synth and art pop while leaning into autobiographical lyrics with stark honesty. After debuting with the guitar- and piano-based Bedroom Hero in 2012, 2019's more diverse Pity Party offered appearances by atmospheric synths and synth bass. She embraced electronics and arty, dancy arrangements more fully on 2021's The Avalanche, an approach that she only amplified on 2024's Peanuts. Born in Birmingham, England and raised outside the city after her family opened a B&B when she was five, Lawrence sang in church and was fed a steady diet of music, especially reggae, by her parents. She went on to play in various punk and ska bands in her youth. Later, while studying at the experimental art school Dartington in Devon, she was discovered on YouTube by a manager, eventually leading to her dropping out of school, moving to London, and signing with EMI. The label soon restructured, cut her loose, and a legal battle ensued with her managers. She wasn't yet 20 when she recorded her debut album, 2012's ultimately self-released Bedroom Hero, a set of singer/songwriter pop that relied mainly on her voice, her guitar, and some well-placed piano. She later revealed that she never really liked that album, which she followed up with short-form releases including the 2013 EP Health & Safety, as she gradually began to stretch her wings musically. She got a recurring gig singing backup for Bombay Bicycle Club in 2013 and beyond, and joined them on their 2015 tour. Shortly afterward, she formed the electro-pop duo Cash+David alongside Tim Ross. Together, they released two EPs that essentially made an album, 2016's Side I and Side II. Lawrence took a short break from music for a couple of years, resurfacing in 2018 with two new solo singles, "The Good Part" and "Woman," both produced by Bombay Bicycle's Jack Steadman. The tracks were soon followed by her second full-length release, 2019's more stylistically varied Pity Party, which featured diversions into synth-based arrangements. Released through Second Breakfast Records, it featured "USP," a song about the commodification of young female musicians. She accompanied the album's release with tour dates in support of Lucy Dacus, Faye Webster, Snail Mail, and Bloc Party. After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lawrence retreated to her hometown and into The Coffin, a home studio set up in her garden shed and named for its odd shape. There, she wrote, recorded, and produced her third album, 2021's more fully new wave-minded The Avalanche. In the meantime, Lawrence made remixes for the likes of Lucy Rose, Bess Atwell, and ARXX. The trend toward artier and more angular sounds in her music continued and was amplified on singles like 2023's "Arcadia" and 2024's "Big Machine" and "Strut." "Arcadia" was included on her Chrysalis Records debut, the 2023 EP I Was There. Titled Peanuts after the playground game (aka Mercy), her next album was also the product of attempts to write her way out of a bout of depression. Recorded in Bristol with producer Ali Chant (Perfume Genius, Yard Act, Aldous Harding), Peanuts arrived on Chrysalis in 2024.
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