The ninth edition of The Correspondent’s Club quarterly music and zine bundle, a members-only 9-song live performance.
Track listing:
1. Dress rehearsal
2. Olympian
3. Devastate Me
4. Dispensable Body
5. Please Don’t
6. I long ago decided
7. Loving Echoes
8. Paper Thin
9. Seashaken
10. Black Car
11. TOWOIT
Preview track: “I long ago decided”
A snoozy day, punctuated by washing piles of soft furnishings and spraying the entire house with Indorex. Surprise baths for reluctant pooches. Flea and worming tablets doled out a few days early. All just in case…but I had a feeling. Just writing about the thought of it makes my skin prickle. Ugh.
I’m still “off work”. I fell ill mid-November after going to see my first gig since 2019 (Gary Barlow’s one-man show – brilliant), so the end of year go-slow started early, but then, in early December – Covid. First-time Covid. Game over.
Unable to do much, I’m in rest and research mode: reading, writing, watching videos on topics that pique my interest. Today I watched videos about field recording and how to sample your own sounds, and made a list of the music production techniques I want to learn and practise in 2023.
Spurred into action, I bring my Zoom H6 recorder down from the studio for a cleanup. Since I paused my podcast this time last year I’ve rarely used it, and the machine has responded to its neglect by letting some batteries fizz and melt in their compartment. Cheers.
I bought a vat of white vinegar a while back for occasions such as these, but it’s probably in the shed, and it’s raining out, so I look for the next best thing. I waver between cider apple vinegar and white wine vinegar, and go for the latter to avoid staining. It works.
Rest is essential (I read that all the time), and I’m enjoying my cosy sofa duvet nest, but I’m starting to feel restless. I haven’t felt itching-to-get-started for months: overwhelmed, stuck and hopeless are three words that sum up much of my 2022. I’m finally starting to feel excited about making things again.
I think it’s because I’ve managed to stay away from external distractions long enough to hear the quiet voice inside urging me onto new and old topics of interest: field recording, sampling, cardboard art. Sculpting with air drying clay. Creating dioramas in boxes and box frames. Blogging! Twitter hasn’t been a satisfying place to write in YEARS and I still love reading (and writing) blog posts. Consider this one a statement of intent.
I’ve signed up for a Cartoons and Comics evening class in town. I’m thinking about creating sample packs using sounds from my solo albums so far. Instead of reminding myself of all the things I didn’t manage to do in 2022 and dragging them all along with me, I’m starting a fresh new list for 2023.
My break includes my YouTube channel: after successfully uploading videos for 52 weeks in a row I’ve stepped back to ponder my next move. I want everything I do to be part of a coherent world I create – I don’t want a hugely successful YouTube channel about cheese, delicious as that may be. It’s a fun challenge to make videos that fit with what I already make, packaging them with the right thumbnail and title to pique the interest of viewers who might not know me yet, as well as those who do.
A phrase pops into my mind, a fresh direction for the year ahead: “adventures in sound and songwriting”. That sounds like a fun year.
Will you join me? xx
As we approach the end of a particularly tough year, I’ve decided to collate all my free / pay what you want/can releases in one place, so you can fill your musical boots.
Throughout my solo career I’ve made sure to keep a healthy amount of my releases available for free download in super high quality. The idea is that I can offer a pleasant listening experience in a nice environment, with the added bonus feeling of being given a gift…because, who doesn’t like a gift?
Hang on…what do you mean by “free”?
Pay what you want/can means exactly that. All the links below will send you to one or other of my Bandcamp pages, where you can type 0 (zero) into the box to accept my offer of a gift, or you can choose to pay me for the music if you feel like it and are able to.
I’m not trying not to make money from my music – all contributions are much appreciated, as are purchases of my other digital and physical releases on Bandcamp. I’ve just always believed that music is for everyone, so this is a reminder of what I’ve got available regardless of your current financial situation. I mean, what a bloody year, right?!!!
SIDEBAR: If you’re in the mood to buy vinyl, CDs, t-shirts, lyric books, hoodies and/or more from me, the absolute best place is my own shop, where you can also pre-order the upcoming Obey Robots album (my collaboration with Rat from Ned’s Atomic Dustbin.
And if you’d like to get involved in powering the making of my music and videos in return for member perks, click here to join The Correspondent’s Club.
PENFRIEND
*Ā No DedicationsĀ – Online Gig December 2022 ** LIMITED RELEASE, NEWEST THING **
*Ā Attention Engineer Nuggets of Wisdom
*Ā The Only Way Out Is ThroughĀ (single)
*Ā Everything Looks Normal In The SunshineĀ (single)
*Ā Iāll Start A FireĀ (single)
*Ā SeventeenĀ (single)
*Ā Black CarĀ (single)
*Ā Cancel Your HopesĀ (single)
*Ā Exotic MonstersĀ (single)
OBEY ROBOTS singles
Penfriend / SMW crossover
*Ā Seashaken demoĀ (February 2019)
SHE MAKES WAR
*Ā Little Battles Album Commentary
*Ā Live at Oxted URC
(last SMW solo performance,Ā full gig recording from November 2019)
Instrumentals – full albums
*Ā Disarm
*Ā Disarm:15
Singles
*Ā StargazingĀ (Cajita remix, November 2016)
*Ā I Want My Country BackĀ (single, May 2017)
*Ā Not In My NameĀ (single, 2010)
You’re super welcome. BUT if you’d like to give me a gift in return – click here to watch my new video for “Super Connected”, then subscribe to my channel!
Love,
Laura xxx
Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
THANK YOU for visiting my website!Iām Laura Kidd, a music producer, songwriter and filmmaker based in Bristol, UK. Itās great to meet you.
+ Get two free songs immediately when you sign up for thoughtful letters about art and music.
+ Get your copy of my album āExotic Monstersā and browse my back catalogue right here.
+ Watch my weekly YouTube videos here and browse episodes of my music podcast āAttention Engineerā here.
+ Be part of the making of new music – check out membership options for The Correspondent’s Club.
+ You can also follow me around the web, on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Have a lovely day xo
A song about the cognitive dissonance of feeling āsuper connectedā: supposedly informed and part of a community via social media, yet deluded if we think typing words into a little box is enough to show empathy to people in very different situations to our own comfort. āIf weāre super connected, why arenāt we all floating in the sea?ā
ā
Pre-order the Obey Robots album “One In A Thousand” now and receive this track PLUS “Not The Quiet Type” immediately PLUS a new song in your inbox every six weeks leading up to the release date of 24th February 2022.
ā
Shop limited edition vinyl, signed CDs, cassettes, tees, hoodies, lyric books and guitar pick tins.
VIDEO CREDITS
Directed and edited by Laura Kidd.
DOP – Sarah Smither.
Right-hand woman + set photography – Charlie Romijn
Set assistants/extras – Megan Green, Leanne Bond & Kit Crew-Gee
Set photographer – Kate Feast
Shot at Boom Satsuma, Bristol. Huge thanks to Freya Billington, Phil Zikking and David Neal.
SONG CREDITS
Produced by Laura Kidd in The Launchpad, Bristol.
Mixed by Chris Sheldon at Red Cedar, London, mastered by Katie Tavini at Weird Jungle, Brighton.
All music by Laura Kidd and Rat. Guitars by Rat. All lyrics, arrangements, vocals, bass, synths, drum programming and lead guitar by Laura.
LYRICS
I drew a target on the back of my neck
Cos some are more equal than others
Disaster junkies scrape bottomless feeds
As long as their self-satisfactionās guaranteed
We hold on to life, like everyone tries
If weāre super connected
Why arenāt we all floating in the sea?
Stuck with myself, I run for my health
Cos these pretty flowers can kill you
Send bottles downstream in an alkaloid dream
Share in this delusion where no-one hears you scream
We hold on to life, like everyone tries
If weāre super connected
Why arenāt we all floating in the sea?
We hold on to life, like everyone tries
If weāre super connected
Why arenāt we all floating in the sea?
Join my mailing list for free songs and stories, subscribe here for future videos and get involved from the start of Penfriend album #2 by joining The Correspondent’s Club.
Have a lovely day! xo
When I decided to bring my She Makes War project to a close at the end of 2019, I created this eight-track retrospective featuring fan favourites from all four She Makes War albums. These songs were lovingly re-recorded in a stripped-back, intimate fashion in my home studio The Launchpad.
As I wrote at the time of release, “I want to celebrate a decade of independent music-making with the community who have encouraged me throughout the years. Iām so proud of the music Iāve made so far and so thankful for your ears and hearts! I put the choice of songs to a public vote in the summer, and thoroughly enjoyed getting to spend some time creating these new arrangements for you. Thank you x”
Stream the album in full below, pick up your copy on CD and subscribe to my channel for more videos xo
I released my debut album āDisarmā under the name She Makes War in September 2010. Iād been collecting the songs together for a couple of years, gradually focusing my mind, building my confidence and getting ever closer to making the music that was playing in my head a reality, a tangible thing others could listen to. Little did I imagine what adventures those songs would take me on, but Iāve enjoyed travelling around the world watching them take on a life of their own ever since.
As the fifth anniversary of Disarm came closer I started making plans to revisit some of the songs, tenderly reworking the tracks that feel the most resonant to my current self, and the ones I felt would benefit from a different sonic approach.
After releasing my third album āDirection Of Travelā I felt it was high time to roll up my sleeves and tackle songs from my debut that never fully realised their potential. Itās about wisdom and hindsight, I suppose.
As Kierkegaard said, āLife can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.ā
Stream the EP in full below, pick up your copy on CD and subscribe to my channel for more videos xo
I joined Twitter on 23rd November 2007 and am looking at losing touch with nearly 15,000 followers if the platform crumbles under the leadership of Elon Musk, or if I decide to leave first. Thanks for that!
In this video I talk about what fellow artists and supporters of the arts can do for each other now, and share thoughts on how I feel Twitter has changed the way we view other people.
Join my mailing list for free songs and stories, subscribe here for future videos and get involved from the start of Penfriend album #2 by joining The Correspondent’s Club.
Have a lovely day! xo
“Featuring the iconic guitar sound of Rat (Nedās Atomic Dustbin) and the compassionate melodic arrangements of Laura Kidd (Penfriend / She Makes War), “Not The Quiet Type” implores the listener to stop chasing perfection and step fully into themselves and their perceived imperfections.”
No experience is truly wasted. Try, fail and try again. Be yourself, fall in love, get it all terribly wrong and get back up.
Youāve got this.
ā
Pre-order the Obey Robots album “One In A Thousand” now and receive this track immediately PLUS a new song in your inbox every six weeks leading up to the release date of 24th February 2022.
ā
Shop limited edition vinyl, signed CDs, cassettes, tees, hoodies, lyric books and guitar pick tins.
CREDITS
Produced by Laura Kidd in The Launchpad, Bristol. Mixed by Chris Sheldon at Red Cedar, London, mastered by Katie Tavini at Weird Jungle, Brighton. All music by Laura Kidd and Rat. All lyrics, arrangements, vocals, bass, and synths by Laura. All guitars by Rat. Drums by Max Saidi.
LYRICS
Goodbye, a little sigh
Sticking fingers in my eyes
Out of time, out of sight
So I’ll try another night
I won’t regret all the hours that I spent
I’m not here to make amends
I am not the quiet type
Destruction makes us stronger
We will always get it wrong
So fall to pieces, fall apart
Weāll stick it back together
Am I being interesting?
Turning cheek and fighting spin?
Finding comfort in my skin?
Imperfectionās always in
I won’t regret all the hours that I spent
I’m not here to make amends
No, Iām not the quiet type!
Destruction makes us stronger
We will always get it wrong
So fall to pieces, fall apart
Weāll stick it back together
Destruction makes us stronger
We will always get it wrong
So fall to pieces, fall apart
Then get back up
Destruction makes me stronger
I will always do my best
So fall to pieces, fall in love
Weāll stick it back together
Join my mailing list for free songs and stories, subscribe here for future videos and get involved from the start of Penfriend album #2 by joining The Correspondent’s Club.
Have a lovely day! xo
I performed nine songs live on the internet on Wednesday 26th October 2022, and am making the studio quality recordings available for a short time only.
The theme of the show was “Sad songs to make you feel better”. Itās all a lot at the moment, isnāt it, and Iāve always found writing and listening to supposedly sad music very cathartic. So, far from being a depressing time, it was a chance to hang out with a friendly bunch of music fans and feel our feelings.
GET THE ALBUM on a pay what you want / can basis. This is a limited release – only available publicly until 13th November.
Watch the full livestream here.
PS “Devastate Me” first appeared on my 2018 album “Brace For Impact”, released under the name She Makes War.
Join my mailing list for free songs and stories, subscribe here for future videos and get involved from the start of Penfriend album #2 by joining The Correspondent’s Club.
Have a lovely day! xo
LYRICS
This is a song for the heavy hearted
Lost friends and the dear departed
Kiss like a cannonball
Handle your alcohol
We disappear so quietly
Devastate me
Weāre crying out, so eager to please
Devastate me
Sign up and enjoy the static
Scream along cos weāre so dramatic
Does the world need this piece of you?
Easy to speak but itās hard to be heard
Weāre not so wonderful
Mortalis digital
Watching ex-lovers age
Blood on my internet page
We disappear so quietly
Devastate me
Weāre crying out, so eager to please
Devastate me
We disappear so quietly
Devastate me
Weāre crying out, but nobody sees
Devastate me
We disappear so quietly
Devastate me
Weāre crying out, so eager to please
Devastate me
We disappear so quietly
Devastate me
Weāre crying out, but nobody sees
Devastate me
From 2009-2019 I made music under the name She Makes War, releasing 4 and a bit solo albums and playing nearly 600 shows.
“Brace For Impact” was the final full-length She Makes War album, released on 5th October 2018. Funded through Pledge Music and the generosity of music fans, it reached #15 in the Independent Album Chart and narrowly missed out on a top 100 placing in the Official Albums Chart. It was all very exciting for this indie artist!
As I said at the time, āIāve never wanted to wait around for the old guard to validate and endorse me ā my whole career has been about making the art I want to and finding a way to get it to people.ā āIām here to share my stories and show my audience I hear and see them too. Itās human nature, to want to know youāre not alone.ā
Stream the album in full below, pick up your copy on CD or “dogface” splatter vinyl and subscribe to my channel for more videos xo
