Release Date: May 28, 2021 Genre: Alternative Rock, Indie Rock Label: Independent Alternative rock artist Laura Danae is originally from Athens, Greece, but now based in Brooklyn, New York, and has readied her debut EP, About Time. Laura Danae has always known music would be an influential part of her life and turned to songwriting as an outlet to express who she is and how she feels through music. Danae is influenced strongly by a wide-ranging list of artists that include The Cure, Depeche Mode, A-Ha, Keane, PJ Harvey, and Alanis Morissette, to name a few. Her musical influences shape her blended sound of alternative rock and indie rock to provide listeners with some '90s nostalgia.
The seven-track EP, About Time, opens with the undeniably electric first single, "Wylde." Originally released at the end of October 2019, this track bleeds brilliance. It's incredibly hard-hitting and infectious, hooking listeners right in. Vocally, Danae sounds eerily reminiscent of Alannis Morrissette on the opening number but using a fuzzed-out vocal effect. Underneath Danae's vocals, the track is backed by alternative rock instrumentation full of pounding drums, bass, and thrilling distorted guitar.
The following track, "It's Me," begins with a different musical path than the first track. Starting with a few notes played on a piano before resulting in returning to her rock roots. "It's Me," tells a story of a breakup from the perspective of Danae, explaining the faults in a relationship that her significant other has accused her of. Lyrically, "It's Me" is extremely personal, and Laura finds the proper ways to convey all the emotions the song is telling into the song. "Honey," the third track off of About Time, and takes yet another different approach musically. There is one thing Laura doesn't do on this record, and that is doubling up on sounds, and she does it with such ease. "Honey" showcases Danae's sombre side with a subtle, powerful number, that's backed by stripped-down instrumentation, soulful vocals, and at times, Danae really lets her vocal chops soar.
The fourth track is the blistering rock number, "Violet Sunset." This is the most recent single off of her debut EP, and it does not disappoint. This standout track commences with the lightning-fast drum fill and psychedelic-esque guitar effects that spiral out to deliver one wild ride. Co-written by Stephanie Housten, behind all the "noise," the track tackles the primal feelings you get when you're about to sleep with someone. Additionally, on the track, Laura tackles the feelings she went through of entering her first-ever same-sex relationship and her first sense of sexual belonging.
From here on out, Danae takes things down a notch for the final three tracks, "Anxiety," "Here I'll Stay," and "Everything." On "Anxiety," for the most part is mellowed out. However, at times heavier parts that feature distorted guitar are exhibited, or even near the song's conclusion, the track picks up once more to showcase Laura's powerful vocals once again. "Here I'll Stay" is a rock ballad through and through. After the first twenty-two seconds, the song becomes stripped right down to its core. Displaying the simple use of only Laura's distinct, emotive voice and piano. Continuing through the song's four-minute and twenty-three-second length, Danae eventually adds the layers of electric guitars and drums to bring the song right home with the perfect blend of everything you have already heard on About Time. On the EP closing track, "Everything," Danae bares it all once more. Delivering an emotionally driven, atmospheric number with softly finger-picked guitars and soft layers of other instrumentation, the message of the lyrics is conveyed exquisitely into the track's spacey, tender sound.
Laura Danae's debut EP was co-produced between herself and Colin Fleming (Christa Gniadek, Paper Citizen, Mad Yonger) with mixing duties handled by Jeff Lipton and Maria Rice at Peerless Mastering. On About Time, she stays true to herself, both lyrically and musically. No song sounds the same, yet the EP's sound never ravers far from its alternative rock and indie rock direction. The songs are all full of unadulterated emotion, and many are feverishly infectious. This is just the start of Laura's career, and it's just going to continue to blossom further from here on out. If you haven't already, be sure to pre-save Laura's About Time EP before its release this Friday.
