Introducing Laurelai: Harmonies, Strings, and the Journey to Their Debut Album

Meet Laurelai, the musical partnership of Rosie Pudney and Josh Madine, who have combined their talents to create a captivating sound that blends indie folk with lush harmonies and moody strings. The duo first crossed paths at university, where they bonded over a shared love for intricate vocal arrangements and emotive instrumentation. Now, in 2024, they are set to release their debut album, a project crafted entirely in Josh’s South London bedroom.

Drawing inspiration from artists like Yebba, Lizzy McAlpine, Sufjan Stevens, and Laura Mvula, Laurelai’s music offers a rich tapestry of influences that will resonate deeply with indie folk enthusiasts. Their upcoming album, featuring tracks like “She Walks Alone” and “Green Leaves,” showcases their ability to weave heartfelt lyrics with carefully layered melodies.

In this interview, we dive into the creative process behind Laurelai’s debut album, exploring how Rosie and Josh’s collaboration evolved, the inspirations that shaped their sound, and what listeners can expect from their highly anticipated release.

1. Congratulations on the release of your debut album, recorded entirely in Josh's South London bedroom! What was the most challenging part of creating an album in such an intimate setting, and what did you enjoy the most about the process?

JM - For me, the initial challenge was that I’d never written music with anyone else before so I was worried that we might fall out! Thankfully, we quickly realised we had very similar musical sensibilities so the collaboration felt very easy. The other challenge is that we spent a day a week writing and recording it over the course of two years, so it was sometimes a struggle to keep the momentum going with such regular breaks in the process. By far the most enjoyable aspect was exploring the possibilities of this exciting new musical partnership and hearing all the brilliant ideas Rosie brought to the table that I’d never have thought of on my own.

RP: Similarly to Josh, there was definitely a sense of thinking “Will we work well together? What if we clash?”. Thankfully, that was not the case at all, and I feel like our tastes compliment each other big time! It was great working with someone who was always completely receptive to trying out any concepts I had (and also comfortable to give an honest opinion if it wasn’t going to work.) Equally, I loved hearing his input and ideas. I remember listening to the string and vocal arrangements he did for both the end of “Mood Board” and “All I Ever Wanted” and just beaming - they are each so beautifully arranged.

In those early stages, there was also the added layer that, while we had worked together a lot at uni in choirs/acapella groups, we didn’t actually know each other super well personally as we only crossed over for one year. From that perspective, I initially found it a bit intimidating coming in with song ideas which revolved around subjects that were pretty personal - very much a “bare all” situation. But it felt important to me/us that we wrote honestly. On the plus side, it definitely meant we got to know each other much more quickly, and thankfully Josh enjoys a moody song as much as I do.

2. Your music takes inspiration from artists like Yebba, Lizzy McAlpine, Sufjan Stevens, and Laura Mvula. How have these influences shaped your sound, and what unique elements do you bring to your music that set Laurelai apart?

JM - We both have a voracious appetite for new music; we’re constantly on the hunt for new things and sharing tracks we discover with each other. That being said, when writing the album, I don’t think we were consciously channelling any other artists in particular. The instrumental palette we eventually decided upon and Rosie’s vocal stylings link us with other indie folk artists but, having both been classically trained, we enjoyed expanding the instrumentation to virtually the size of a string orchestra size in places (Goodbye; Old State of New). Other tracks touch on Spanish guitar (Lady in Frame), electronic elements (Mood Board), trip-hop (Goodbye; Mood Board), bossa nova (All I Ever Wanted), and I also occasionally sings backing vocals, allowing us sometimes to broaden out to the size of a full choir.

RP: I absolutely love the artistry of the people referenced. I think they are such beautiful song writers and each find such interesting ways to keep their listeners engaged without compromising the fundamental basics of the song. Sufjan Stevens’ lyrics were a big inspiration to me (if you haven’t listened to him, do yourself a favour and pop some on because it’s absolutely beautiful). I love how he’s able to communicate something so universal in a fresh way without it sounding contrived. A pretty cool skill to have.

That said, while our music will perhaps appeal to people who also like those artists, I do think that stylistically we differ a little. Our use of vocals and harmony are definitely influenced by our respective choral backgrounds, and I think you can absolutely tell that in songs like “Mood Board” and “You”. Those layered builds feel pretty theatrical in some senses, especially with the use of the strings. I also think that a fair few of our songs don’t adhere to typical song structure which is fun!

3. Your album launch party at Castle Cinema, Hackney, promises an immersive surround sound experience. What can fans expect from this event, and how did you come up with the idea to present your album in this unique way?

JM - Our launch party on 24th July was a very special evening and it was such a joy to be joined by so many of our friends, family and supporters to listen to the album for the first time. I had the idea after going to a similar event in a cinema a few months ago, where we listened to a Tame Impala album in the dark. It felt like being inside the album in a way I’d never felt before and, though listening on headphones gets you some of the way there, to be able to share that experience with 80 people at the same time made it even more moving. Our music is so multilayered, always making full use of the 3-dimensional sonic space, that we felt it would really benefit from this surround sound presentation and from the feedback we had afterwards, the audience seemed to agree!

RP: I take no credit for this - this was all Josh’s idea! In all honesty I was a little nervous about doing one, I think out of fear of people not being interested - but I was wrong (thankfully!). He sold it to me once he’d told me about the Tame Impala surround sound gig he’d been to. It sounded like a very cool way to frame the evening and make it more of an event. After a good 2 and a half years working on it, it was great to be able to celebrate with friends and family (even if I was only able to be there via video, unfortunately).

4. You both met at university and bonded over your love of harmonies and moody strings. Can you share a bit about how your musical partnership evolved from those early days to now?

JM - Yes, we initially met whilst singing in an a cappella group so vocal harmonies are very much at the core of our friendship. I produced an a cappella album as my final university project but was keen, following that, to embrace the possibilities of instrumental textures too. Vocal harmonies are definitely a big part of what we do – the track Mood Board has something like 30 simultaneous backing vocal parts at its climax – whereas Old State of New just has one vocal throughout but it’s the strings that are more complex instead. We were keen to have quite a bit of textural variety throughout the album and can envisage involving even more orchestral instruments in future.  

RP: I was always a huge fan of, and greatly inspired by, Josh’s arrangements at uni. They were so well thought out and cohesive. You can definitely hear the influence of that precision in this album. I’d personally not done much arranging until uni, but having Vox (the acapella group) there to bring your arrangements to life was a really cool thing, and a big motivator to try it out. Post uni, I enjoyed doing bits of arranging and song writing throughout lockdown, gradually building up an idea of what styles I liked. My big issue was that I would often lose steam halfway through a song and it would be left unfinished. Cue Josh! Once we started working together, it was great to have someone else to hold that side accountable - team work makes the dream work as they say!

We tried a variety of different song writing strategies. Quite often I’d sit down at home and work some ideas out (perhaps a verse and chorus) with a guitar and show them to Josh the next week. We’d pick out the ones with the most potential and then flesh them out together at our weekly sessions. Others came in more rounded; “So Close Now” and “Green Leaves” were among some of the more fully formed ideas, with harmonies and lyrics already in the concept shown to Josh. There are also songs which were born from Josh creating these beautiful piano tracks. Often we would work on them together in finding a strong melody, or I’d take it home and figure something out. Josh would also fill in some more of the instrumentation during the week and we’d similarly go over that together and see what worked and what could be built on. I think we compliment each other well as writers and arrangers. He has the capacity to create these lush, complex and well thought out vocal and string harmonies which add so much. His attention to detail is pretty incredible really. Overall, I think we’ve settled into our song writing method for sure, it seems to work for us!

5. Your track list includes titles like 'She Walks Alone', 'Down the Rabbit Hole', and 'All I Ever Wanted'. Can you give us some insight into the themes and stories behind these songs?

RP: A lot of this album was reflecting back on past experiences with romance, disillusion with religion, growing older, and mental health. I’d written and arranged “She Walks Alone” for a cabaret I had created for my Masters which discussed the effects of dealing with obsessive compulsive disorder. This song reflects upon someone going through life and gradually feeling this sense of dread or anxiety come over them without much warning - ultimately, they succumb to it. “You” is also a more extensive exploration of how I’d felt in the midst of dealing with it. It attempts to articulate how it feels to lose sight of yourself and, in some senses, of reality as a consequence of being completely dominated by the illness (or so it feels like). It was really interesting, sad, and probably more effective to write about it while having a much better handle on it. Hopefully it will help give people an understanding of what it’s like to navigate as it’s a fairly misrepresented illness in mainstream media. But hey - it’s only my experience, I can’t speak for everyone.

Overall, the album is pretty personal and hopefully anyone who listens to it will take something from it, even if it’s something completely different to what our original intention was for the song. It’s a bit nerve-wracking bearing things which are so intimate but hey, hopefully they will be a cathartic listen for those who do!