True Mountain Laurel's debut album cuts deep with smart indie rock
The partnership of Sam Lynch and Haley Blais releases Angel So Bad on August 28, full of intricate arrangements and lyrics that balance sweetness with edge.
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True Mountain Laurel, the new project of Vancouver musicians Sam Lynch and Haley Blais, spent a sold-out show at WISE Hall running through their upcoming debut album stripped-down and acoustic. Fans of both musicians' solo work rejoiced—they're known for smart indie rock that sounds extremely sweet while the lyrics cut deep.
But the full album, Angel So Bad (out August 28), broadens the sound considerably. Lynch and Blais recorded almost all of it themselves, without the many musicians they sometimes play with in their careers. Despite that, the titular single released earlier this month feels unexpectedly lush and intricate—instruments pop in and out in a way that feels free-flowing even as it's clearly been worked on over and over.
The pair harmonize easily and seamlessly, but what makes the track stick is the songwriting. The song is a portrait of a loving but cheeky partner in a relationship who frustrates their other half and knows it but also won't change their ways. Lines like "I don't know why you're so confused; I can talk shit and love you too" and "I can be sweet, I can be rude; bitches contain multitudes" feel lived-in and specific rather than performative.
At just under three minutes, the single cuts off exactly when you want another verse. The rest of the album arrives August 28.