Interview: Gemma Laurence Grants Amnesty to Her Past and Looks Forward in “Bloodlines”

Gemma Laurence examines pain, how it shapes us, and how we proceed in her whimsical and folky single, “Bloodlines.”

follow our Today’s Song(s) playlist

Stream: “Bloodlines” – Gemma Laurence

“You can look back at the past, but don’t stare.”

I don’t know where I first came across that sentence — maybe it was uttered to me in passing, maybe I skimmed it as I mindlessly scrolled on my phone, maybe it was printed on a paper nestled within a fortune cookie — who knows.

It’s always been nice to have quippy proverbs to latch on to in the midst of turbulent times. After all, slipping these phrases into casual conversation is akin to a cool — albeit somewhat nerdy — party trick. But what is so enticing about these words is their collective meaning; the comfort they bring and the immense wisdom they dispense.

In this case, we are asked to think about what it means to reflect on the past, but not dwell on it.

This notion comes brilliantly encapsulated in Gemma Laurence’s single, “Bloodlines”; which, if you’re feeling abstract, can be thought of as a musical proverb of sorts.

Bloodlines - Gemma Laurence — Bloodlines – Gemma Laurence

Released on April 4, via Main Factor/Mad Dragon Records, the track is the first off of the Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter’s third record, We Were Bodies Underwater, which is to come later this summer.

“‘Bloodlines’ really does feel like the perfect chapter one to the album. It’s one of the first songs I wrote off the record and it really captures the LP’s themes,” Laurence shares. “It’s about how the past is always alive, how as much as we want to overcome our trauma, it’ll always be with us. But we can choose to have a big heart and keep loving in spite of everything. It’s a song about resilience, but it’s got a darkness to it.”

So: Just how do we challenge ourselves to become more than the life we have already lived? What does it take to honor our pain but not be consumed by it?

Illuminating a possible answer to these queries without straying into oversaturated and at times overly optimistic hope-core territory, Laurence keeps it realistic, singing a simple line over a softly plucked banjo: “You’ve got a big heart, in spite of it all.”

It’s easy to retaliate from our pain, thrashing about and generating more suffering for us and those around us.

The harder feat is soothing the wounded part of us that is so inclined to ruin others just as we have been hurt. And so, we recreate ourselves by caring, we recreate ourselves through the love we share with our communities. What a gift it is to love and to be loved, and to give ourselves the grace needed to heal.

Within “Bloodlines,” Gemma Laurence asserts one fact to her listeners: you are not defined by your pain. As this spring season brings with it a sense of renewal, use her wise words as a guide book. Perhaps our pasts will always be a part of us, but we have the future to look forward to.

Continue reading below to learn more about Gemma Laurence and “Bloodlines” below!

— —

:: stream/purchase Bloodlines here ::

:: connect with Gemma Laurence here ::

— —

Stream: “Bloodlines” – Gemma Laurence

A CONVERSATION WITH GEMMA LAURENCE

Atwood Magazine: We’re two weeks post the release of your latest single, “Bloodlines” — how are you feeling?

Gemma Laurence: I’m feeling great! It’s been an overwhelmingly positive response, it seems like people are really connecting with the song, which makes me so happy.

What are the usual emotions that come to you during a release cycle? Do you feel more excited or anxious now that the song is out in the world right now? Or maybe a different kind of feeling altogether.

Gemma Laurence: It’s truly a release in both senses of the word – every release feels like a letting go, a catharsis. Some of these songs (including “Bloodlines”) have been sitting with me for years, so it feels so special to finally get to share them with others.

Catch me up to speed on your career a little bit — why did you decide to start releasing music and what keeps you passionate about being a musician?

Gemma Laurence: I’ve been writing music for as long as I can remember. I feel like there’s this electric current moving through me all the time and the only way to release it is by writing music and performing. I don’t think there’s ever going to be a day where I don’t feel passionate about what I do – it fuels me. And I think my favorite part of the job is getting to build and find community through music. That’s been something I’ve come to love through touring this part year.

You started out with a background in classical piano — how did you decide that folk and Americana were the best vessels for your music? What about the genres make them so compelling to you?

Gemma Laurence: Yeah, I took classical piano lessons for like ten years as a kid. It was never really my thing. Honestly, it wasn’t until I was like 13 years old and watching an episode of that show Unfabulous — you know, the one with Emma Roberts on Nickelodeon — when I realized that I wanted to play guitar. I went to my Mom and was like (dead seriously) “Um…. Mom.. do you think I’m cool enough to play guitar?” She looked at me and then laughed and was like “Uhhh… yes? Totally!” And the rest was history.

I borrowed a ½ size nylon-string guitar from some kid on my school bus and I practiced my scales every day. It felt so much more natural, especially the open tuning stuff. My parents have always been so supportive of my career, I’m truly so grateful for them. I can also give them some credit for giving me my taste in music – they were always playing the good stuff in the car – everything to Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell to The Clash and The Ramones. I’ve always written whatever felt most natural to what I was feeling. At the beginning of my creative life that was very soft, vulnerable folky music. Now it’s got a little more of an edge, a bit more rock n roll. I’d still primarily call myself a folk artist but I like playing with genre. I don’t feel too confined by it.

You are somewhat of a regular in NYC’s music community — what do you love about the scene here?

Gemma Laurence: Oh, the NYC music scene is incredible. When I moved here in June of 2021 it felt like NYC had just entered this indie music renaissance. There’s this myth that there’s ‘so much competition’ out there or whatever, but I’ve never felt that in my circles here. People are really just out here supporting each other. We all go to each other’s shows, we all buy each other’s merch. Everybody’s played on a bill with everyone. It’s very tight knit, but it’s inclusive too.

As mentioned, your most recent single, “Bloodlines” kicked off the release cycle for your upcoming record We Were Bodies Underwater — how did you decide on this track as the one to be the one to jumpstart this album?

Gemma Laurence: “Bloodlines” really does feel like the perfect chapter one to the album. It’s one of the first songs I wrote off the record and it really captures the LP’s themes – it’s about how the past is always alive, how as much as we want to overcome our trauma, it’ll always be with us. But we can choose to have a big heart and keep loving in spite of everything. It’s a song about resilience, but it’s got a darkness to it. I think that captures the album well.

The single was inspired by Adrienne Rich’s poem “Diving into the Wreck” — do you usually use literature as an inspiration for your writing or is this more of a one off circumstance?

Gemma Laurence: I’ve always been a big reader, so literature has always been a big influence for my songwriting. Adrienne Rich is one of my all-time favorite poets – ‘21 Love Poems’ inspired my last record – so it’s no surprise her work played a part in this record too. When I was writing the album I was also reading a lot of Joy Harjo, Ocean Vuong, Ada Limòn, Mary Oliver, James Baldwin, Patti Smith, Joan Didion, Maggie Nelson. They were all huge influences for me.

I love the music video for this single; tell me a little bit about the music video for “Bloodlines” and the experience of working with director Ross Page and the process of translating this song into a visual narrative!

Gemma Laurence: The song is so much about how our past haunts us, so we wanted to create this very nostalgic video, which is why we decided to shoot it all on Super 8. We wanted to create a picture-perfect scene looking back on a relationship, where everything looks perfect… but is it really? Ross and I are both big David Lynch fans and are really drawn to the idea of the uncanny. Like, how are some ways we can make an otherwise very normal-looking scene feel so weird and unsettling, just ever-so-slightly off? That’s when the snake came into play, the cereal bowl of nails, the antler spinning the record. We wanted to get a little weird. It was a delight working with him, as well as Mostyn, my fellow dancer, co-star and dear friend)! And Calypso, the snake, of course. I’m such a snake girl. I was honestly just gonna take any excuse to hold a live snake in a music video.

I know we’re a little ways away from the record at the moment, but I wanted to ask a couple of questions about it! You’ve shared that We Were Bodies Underwater is a concept album of sorts, following two lovers. Did you write all of these songs with the intention of making them a throughline narrative?

Gemma Laurence: Yeah I kinda did! Honestly I do write pretty much all of my songs with the intention of recording them and putting them on an album. There are not many songs I discard or don’t use in a record. So all the songs I was writing during this period of my life I knew would end up together. I wasn’t totally sure how the narrative of the album would look, but I knew they’d go together.

Gemma Laurence Soars & Stirs on “Lavender”

:: INTERVIEW ::

This will be your third album to date — how do you feel that this body of work speaks to how your artistry and personhood has changed since the release of your first?

Gemma Laurence: That is such a good question! Honestly, I feel like my first record (which I wrote and recorded when I was a teenager) had so much emotional intensity but it was clear I was still figuring out my sound. My second album showed me honing in on my sound, but the songs were a bit more reflective and less reactive and intense. This third album has the heart and intensity of my first album, with the sophistication of my second. This is also the first album I’ve written with a full band in mind. I’d formed my first band just before all these songs came together, so I had my bandmates in mind when I was writing these songs. Like the guitar solo outro on “Bloodlines” – that’s the first thing Fran (my guitarist) wrote for me after she joined the band. Fran’s background is way more alt/emo-leaning whereas mine is way more folky. Writing songs with Fran in mind made me start writing edgier stuff honestly. Joanna’s a jazz drummer by trade, so there’s this tight pocket in each of the songs. There’s so much personality in each of these songs that shines through.

I like to end my interviews on a happy note, so I wanted to ask: what has been giving you joy lately?

Gemma Laurence: Queer line dancing! It’s huge in Brooklyn right now. I’ve really found my people through Stud Country, which is the group I mainly do it through. Something about the collective euphoria of dancing with a group of fellow queer people just brings me so much joy. I go every week and it’s brought so much lightness in my life, even during darker times. It’s impossible to go line dancing and not leave in a better mood than you were in before.

— —