Lauren Frihauf - “Fragments of a Stranger”
Photo by Seth Beamer Productions
Neo-folk artist Lauren Frihauf has just released the smooth sounds of her solo debut, “Fragments of a Stranger.” On her Instagram, she claims that she “writes music for driving through the mountains.” Being that we are from the Midwest, we can confirm that the mountains need not be present in order to thoroughly enjoy her work.
“Fragments of a Stranger” is not the typical, somber and gritty music that we tend to feature on our blog, but once Frihauf’s soulfully smoky voice arrives amidst the retro-imbued tones of an electric piano, you will fully understand the reason we could not pass it up. And if you happen to be a fan of Billie Marten or Joni Mitchell, this song will quickly find its way beneath your skin and into your favorite playlist.
The arrangement gradually expands, maintaining its classic production with a gentle rhythm section, layers of additional keys, and brilliant glimpses of vocal harmonies. And although jazz is definitely outside of our wheelhouse, the level of intricacy here is undeniably rich and robust, at times feeling as though we’ve opened our parents’ crate of LPs in order to discern how cool they were before they had kids.
Frihauf has a pronounced gift for melody, as evidenced on the song’s hook, utilizing a fantastic falsetto and a rising sea of vocal layers. “Fragments of a Stranger” is a confident and courageous manner in which to debut one’s solo work and we cannot wait to hear what she does next.
-HD