Get to know artist-to-watch Lauran Hibberd as she discusses new single “Frankie’s Girlfriend,” Phoebe Bridgers and Weezer, lyrical snobbery, and more in our interview!
Stream: “Frankie’s Girlfriend” – Lauran Hibberd
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/655656725?secret_token=s-Ub9ho” params=”color=%23b0887c&auto_play=true&visual=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”300″ iframe=”true” /]Some dreams are fun, and others are forgettable; some dreams should be told, and others should perhaps be kept to the self. The jury’s out on whether Lauran Hibberd should have told her friend Frankie about the dream she had about him, but nevertheless she got one kickass song out of the whole thing.
Frankie’s Girlfriend said to me
“I heard you talking in your sleep
about my boyfriend…
about my boyfriend.”
Frankie’s Girlfriend is giving me grief.
She’s only lived here for a week,
she’s been looking at me
like she wants me to leave.
Out July 25, 2019, “Frankie’s Girlfriend” is Lauran Hibberd’s seventh overall single release and the latest offering from her forthcoming debut EP Everything Is Dogs, set for release September 20, 2019.
A whimsical story shared through the lens of feverish indie rock, “Frankie’s Girlfriend” truly is the next step in Hibberd’s string of unnervingly infectious songs. The Atwood Magazine artist-to-watch, previously lauded for her “honest lyricism and dynamic musicality” and “music that can and will shake audiences awake,” keeps audiences engaged throughout her new single as she tells the story of a dream she had about her friend Frankie, and (you guessed it) his jealous girlfriend, who doesn’t take kindly to Hibberd and views her as a threat to their relationship.
Now I can’t sleep at night
too scared to close my eyes
I’m going crazy
This psychopath is ruining my life
And I wanna tell him what you’re like
that’s why he’s been
running round my mind.
I wouldn’t be that,
I wouldn’t be that,
I wouldn’t be that cruel.
While we don’t quite get to hear what said dream was actually all about (I said, “We sat in car parks and we talked ‘til it got dark”), Hibberd does treat her audience to the hectic goings-on surrounding it: The ire radiating from Frankie’s girlfriend, Hibberd’s discomfort being around her and the desire to tell Frankie about this side of her, and the intimate dynamic they must bear in sharing the same living quarters (“Frankie’s girlfriend don’t you see, I’ve known Frankie since we were three. That’s why I let you crash here for free“).
Whilst Hibberd’s direct, albeit tongue-in-cheek storytelling calls to mind the likes of Fountains of Wayne and Weezer, her music retains that steel edge we’ve all come to know, love, and cherish from previous singles like “Sugardaddy” and “Hoochie.” Tight chugs, fierce build-ups, and explosive choruses help make the song a dynamic and unrelenting release throughout three and a half short, action-packed minutes.
Hibberd takes something as normal and banal as jealousy and transfroms it into a headbanging thrill.
“I’m super excited for the next release, “Frankie’s Girlfriend” has always felt like a track I’ve wanted to keep safe – until now,” Hibberd tells Atwood Magazine. “I’m super excited to have it out in the lugholes of the world and for it to be followed up with my debut EP. As a disclaimer, to Frankie – I’m really sorry you no longer have a girlfriend, but I got an alright song out of it.”
With pink hair, hazel eyes, a saccharine voice, and a raw knack for overdrive, Lauran Hibberd is one badass up-and-comer worth your while. “Frankie’s Girlfriend” is yet another notch in her many-studded belt of veritable jams. Get to know the sterling artist-to-watch as she discusses her new song, Phoebe Bridgers and Weezer, lyrical snobbery, and more in our interview!
MEET LAURAN HIBBERD
Atwood Magazine: Lauran, I've absolutely loved hearing your vicious and raw rock songs over the past year. What inspires you musically?
Lauran Hibberd: Thank you so much! I think I try to take inspiration from the bleak in everyday life mostly. I love the way artists like Phoebe Bridgers can make a story out of nothing really, making the smallest moments seem profound. That’s the kind of thing that really does it for me. Saying that, my favourite band in the world is Weezer, for the polar opposite reason of that. I think it’s absolutely genius, the Blue album and Pinkerton in particular. Clever songwriting, infectious melodies, there’s a humour in it as well, and it’s sonically its own thing. I think I have taken a lot from listening to these albums over and over again for years.
I love the way artists like Phoebe Bridgers can make a story out of nothing really, making the smallest moments seem profound.
Your songs find an alternative way of storytelling breakup and intimacy. Can you talk about your approach to songwriting, and what gets you excited in that realm?
Hibberd: I never really get excited until after I have finished a track and look back at it. Because it’s in that moment if you know if you’ve got something or not. I guess lyrically, I’m a snob. I would hate for people to guess what was coming out of my mouth before I said it. So I like to throw some curveballs in that sense, there’s always another way to tell the same story you know. I get a real kick out of playing with words, and I like to use imagery a lot. I try and flip everything on its head, play with tenses, and make my tracks their own people in a way.
Frankie’s Girlfriend said to me
I saw you walking on the beach
He was looking at you
the way he used to look at me.
Frankie’s Girlfriend don’t you see
I’ve known Frankie
since we were three
That’s why I let you crash here for free.
How did “Frankie's Girlfriend” come about? What's it about for you?
Hibberd: “Frankie’s Girlfriend” is based very loosely on true events. I basically had a very weird dream about me and a friend of mine, called Frankie. I told him about it, and his girlfriend at the time (bit of a nutter) hated it. She went a bit crazy on me, and him, and it kind of triggered this warped little story really. I’m really proud of the track, I think it’s got a real bite to it.
She said where did you go?
She said how did it start?
I said, “We sat in car parks
and we talked ‘til it got dark.”
There’s nothing you should know.
Don’t call me a god damn liar,
Frankie’s just my friend
and I loved him like a child
What should first-time listeners to Lauran Hibberd know about the artist and music they're about to listen to?
Hibberd: I think be aware, that I am dark humoured and never take myself to seriously. It’s full of character, and energy that you’d be surprised can come from a lilac custom guitar and a girl in a pink fluffy skirt. All my tracks to date (story-wise) link back to me in some form or another, so I literally sing what I see and spruce up certain corners of my mind in the process.
The buzz is growing with your EP coming out in just two months! What's in store for us on the upcoming EP; what can we expect, and do you think we may also find ourselves surprised?
Hibberd: Yay! I am so excited. The EP is called ‘Everything is Dogs’, and there will be some familiar tracks on there for sure. But there will be some surprises. Especially if you order the vinyl… My personal favourite is a track called ‘Shark Week’ which is a little different from me. But it gets me in the gut, and is probably the most attached song I have ever written.
As a disclaimer, to Frankie – I’m really sorry you no longer have a girlfriend, but I got an alright song out of it.
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Stream: “Frankie’s Girlfriend” – Lauran Hibberd
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