I’d rather be one in a thousand

I’d rather be one in a thousand

Letterbox Music News


Are you trying to be one in a million?

I grew up with that phrase knocking around in my brain, instructing me to try and be so brilliant, so very special and so unusual that I would achieve the very highest possible level of success.

Or what – failure???

What if you don’t want to be the very best? What if, like me, you don’t believe that fame and luxury are concepts fitting of a world where there’s so much of a gap between rich and poor?

I’d rather be “one in a thousand”.

Over the past 15 years I’ve found a role for myself as a community artist, creating music for people who live outside the mainstream – like me. Music for underdogs.

And now I have a new album to share with you, a creative collaboration with my friend Rat from Ned’s Atomic Dustbin.

It’s been described as “21st Century 90’s Indie”, which I am delighted with!

If you know me already, you know that independence has always been at the core of everything I do – and this album is no exception. We made this whole thing ourselves: I produced the record from my home attic studio and I asked Chris Sheldon – yes, that Chris Sheldon! – to mix it for us.

It sounds incredible, and it’s coming out on 24th February 2023 on my own super indie label My Big Sister Recordings.

Order “One In A Thousand” directly from my shop and you’ll get access to the full range of limited edition music and merch, plus you’ll receive four songs in your inbox immediately, with another one sent to your email before the release date.

Instead of clawing our way up to a lonely pedestal to be one in a million, we can stand together and be one in a thousand.

Thank you for supporting independent music.

NEXT

I’m proud and very thankful to be a fully fan-funded artist, so if you’d like to stay involved and continue to support the making of new music, writing and videos:

🎁 Get your FREE 12-track album + 31-page PDF zine of stories, photographs and artwork here.

❤️ Get immediate access to my entire digital archive (close to 200 tracks!) plus additional ongoing Member Perks by joining The Correspondent’s Club on Patreon!

🎸 Listen to my latest solo album “Exotic Monsters” and browse my back catalogue.

🎥 Watch my videos for adventures in sound & songwriting.

💬 Chat with me on TwitterInstagram and Facebook.

See you soon xo

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With 4 weeks to go…

With 4 weeks to go…

Letterbox Music News


It’s official: 2023 is the Year of the Robot. You heard it here first!

My Obey Robots collaboration album “One In A Thousand” will be released into the world in four weeks and one day, on Friday 24th February.

Oh my. That’s soon!

This is a super indie release on my own label, so the best way to support the album is to order direct from us. You’ll get access to the full range of music and merch – not available anywhere else! – PLUS immediate download links for four songs, with one more sent to you before 24th February.

Several items are running low: we have three limited edition vinyl colours left, signed and unsigned CDs, cassettes, signed lyric books, four tee designs, hoodies, badge packs and pick tins containing a signed bass pick from me and guitar pick from Rat!

This week in Robot land…

Miles Hunt (of The Wonder Stuff) was the first non-Robot to receive a copy of the album on vinyl. After inspiring teenage Laura to join her first band, befriending a young Rat and then introducing the two of us in 2019, it was the least we could do to say THANK YOU.

Have you heard his brilliant new solo album yet? (I sing on two songs – dreams can come true…)

What about record shops?

If you’re waiting til release day to pick up a copy of “One In A Thousand” from your local record shop, that’s very cool. Up the indies! However, as this is a super independent release it won’t be stocked unless it’s requested…by YOU. 

The record is distributed through SRD, so if you tell them you want a copy they can get in touch with them and sort it out – though they won’t have access to any of the limited edition colours in the shop.

What about Bandcamp?

I still love Bandcamp, I do – but they make pre-orders very difficult. No bundling options, no clear way of categorising music and merch, no accurate way of counting sales towards the charts… My label operates out of my home studio, and I don’t currently have bandwidth to juggle inventory across two platforms. I appreciate this makes ordering from the EU a VAT-shaped problem, so I will be adding some items to Bandcamp after the first week of release.

Thanks for your understanding, and if you order from my shop and would like a complimentary Bandcamp download code sent to you, just leave me a note at checkout.

Thank you so much for supporting this album, you’re the absolute best.

FOUR WEEKS!

Love,
Laura xxx

NEXT

I’m proud and very thankful to be a fully fan-funded artist, so if you’d like to stay involved and continue to support the making of new music, writing and videos:

🎁 Get your FREE 12-track album + 31-page PDF zine of stories, photographs and artwork here.

❤️ Get immediate access to my entire digital archive (close to 200 tracks!) plus additional ongoing Member Perks by joining The Correspondent’s Club on Patreon!

🎸 Listen to my latest solo album “Exotic Monsters” and browse my back catalogue.

🎥 Watch my videos for adventures in sound & songwriting.

💬 Chat with me on TwitterInstagram and Facebook.

See you soon xo

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Obey Robots – “Inside Out” (2/4/20)

Obey Robots – “Inside Out” (2/4/20)

Homepage Feature Letterbox Releases Singles


Release date: 2nd April 2021
Label: My Big Sister Recordings


GET THE SONG

+ Get the song on pay what you want / can download from Bandcamp now
+ Pre-order limited edition pink 7″ vinyl / CD singles


ABOUT THE SONG

The second song from Obey Robots, my collaboration project with Rat (Ned’s Atomic Dustbin), “Inside Out” started off as a shimmering acoustic guitar idea that Rat demoed and saved in a folder he called “Maybe send to Laura”. I’m very glad he did send it to me! After sharing the punchy riffs of “Let It Snow” with you at the end of 2020, we wanted to conjure a different mood, so I encouraged Rat to layer up the guitars while I went off to write the melody, lyrics and cello parts. 

This song is about dealing with the new groundhog-day-normal many of us have been experiencing for the past year: the highs, mediums and lows of a life made much smaller by circumstance. Ravelling and unravelling at different speeds to those around us, perhaps: trying to feel a semblance of forward motion; trying to remember what the point is. Deciding to keep hoping.

With musicians having to wait for in-person work to be possible again, it felt like the right time to get back in touch with my A-Level Music pal David Lale, who has played for the London Philharmonic Orchestra for the past 8 years. I always knew he’d go far!

David played the parts beautifully, of course, and added some extra touches in the instrumental to take it to new heights. It was a lovely opportunity to work together for the first time since we arranged Green Day’s “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)” for a school concert back in the day. Thank you, David.

Fun fact: the original working title of this song was “Spider_Capo”. Rat, ever the fan of using different tunings but lacking the will to actually tune his guitars alternately, clearly needed to get a new toy. A novice attempt at using the spider capo (a piece of equipment strongly resembling a torture device) resulted in the basic melodic chords being written for the song that would become “Inside Out”.

CREDITS

Written by Pring / Kidd. Produced by Laura Kidd. Mixed by Dan Austin. Mastered by Katie Tavini. Guitar performed and recorded by Rat. Cello arrangement by Laura Kidd. Cello performed and recorded by David Lale.

Image by bamenny from Pixabay


LYRICS 

Lifelines are melting away
Handing off to the people we pay
Shy to communicate
Counting days til we can get more interesting

I’m replacing fear with doubt
But I’m still turning inside out
And you can show up every day
But I’m still turning inside, inside out

Nightmares and reveries
All my dreams now deliver to sea
Trust in my memories
Counting weeks til we can get more interesting

I’m replacing fear with doubt
But I’m still turning inside out
And you can show up every day
But I’m still turning inside, inside out

I’m replacing fear with doubt
But I’m still turning inside out
And you can show up every day
But I’m still turning inside, inside out

I’ve been letting the good side down
But I’m still turning inside out
And you can show up every day
But I’m still turning inside, inside out

Thanks for visiting my website!

New to my musical world?

+ Get two free songs music immediately by joining my mailing list.

+ I send a thoughtful email every week – join The Correspondent’s Club on a free or paid tier to receive it.

+ New episodes of my music podcast “Attention Engineer” are released every Wednesday – visit this page to find out more and subscribe via your favourite podcast platform.

+ You can also follow me around the web, on YouTubeTwitterInstagram and Facebook.

Have a lovely day xo

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Obey Robots – “Let It Snow” (4/12/20)

Obey Robots – “Let It Snow” (4/12/20)

Homepage Feature Letterbox Releases Singles


Release date: 4th December 2020
Label: My Big Sister Recordings


GET THE SONG

+ Pre-order vinyl / pay what you want/can download from Bandcamp.

ABOUT THE SONG

“Let It Snow” is the debut single by Obey Robots – a bold new project from Rat (Ned’s Atomic Dustbin) and Laura Kidd (Penfriend / She Makes War). Connected by mutual friend Miles Hunt (The Wonder Stuff), the pair pool their disparate influences to break new ground.

An unflinching, anthemic powerhouse to close out a terrible year, “Let It Snow” announces itself on a motoric Krautrock groove recalling Stereolab’s “French Disko” if rewired by Queens Of The Stone Age or “Used For Glue”-era Rival Schools. There isn’t a jingle bell in sight – just a clarion call for a collective look to the future.

As her previously busy world reduced to the size of her Bristol studio, The Launchpad, Laura started creating cut-up collages from Rat’s intense, melodic guitar parts, building new sound spaces to voice her hopes, fears and frustrations but, more importantly, to offer a hand to the uncertain.

The lyrics to “Let It Snow” issue a heady invocation to the weather gods to fast forward this worst of years by dousing the world in clean, crisp hope for brighter days, where we can hug our loved ones and gather together in dark music venues to celebrate the wonders of being alive.

The double A side single is available to pre-order NOW on limited edition pink 7″ vinyl and CD, with the first track, “Let It Snow”, available as a pay what you want/can digital download.

CREDITS

Written by Pring / Kidd. Produced by Laura Kidd. Mixed by Dan Austin. Mastered by Katie Tavini. Guitar performed and recorded by Rat. Bass, vocals and synths performed and recorded by Laura Kidd. Drums performed and recorded by Max Saidi.

LYRICS 

Look how we run for cover
Watch how we fight, fight, fight
I haven’t seen my mother
But I found my lust for life

I want to race the summer
Cos we’re falling down, down
Just let me talk the winter round

I’m feeling so soluble, time melts away
These days are unendable
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

The roar becomes a whisper
Smash through computer screens
I haven’t seen my sister
So fire up the time machines

I’m feeling so soluble, time melts away
These days are unendable
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

I’m feeling invisible, words wear away
This year is impossible
Let it go, let it go, let it go

Feeling so soluble, time melts away
These days are unendable
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
Let it go, let it go, let it go

Thanks for visiting my website!

New to my musical world?

+ Get two free songs music immediately by joining my mailing list.

+ I send a thoughtful email every week – join The Correspondent’s Club on a free or paid tier to receive it.

+ New episodes of my music podcast “Attention Engineer” are released every Wednesday – visit this page to find out more and subscribe via your favourite podcast platform.

+ You can also follow me around the web, on YouTubeTwitterInstagram and Facebook.

Have a lovely day xo

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