10 July 2024 - 0 Comments
Õtautahi-based Aotearoa artist L.A. Mitchell (Lauren Barus / Terrible Sons) has today released her introspective and driving new single Glove.
An ethereal blend of alternative songwriting and pulsing dance rhythms, Glove is L.A. Mitchell’s return to the solo spotlight after a decade of working with some of Aotearoa’s most celebrated artists.
She’s toured, written and performed with the likes of Sir Dave Dobbyn, Bic Runga, Tim Finn, Anna Coddington, Sola Rosa, and Dukes, and performed support for Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder and Guy Sebastian. Just recently, she was a member of the Bill Withers Social Club alongside Troy Kingi & Dallas Tamaira on their sold-out tour, and was a finalist for the 2024 Best Folk Artist award at the AMAs for her work with husband Matt Barus in Terrible Sons. Now, a decade from her last solo release, it is once again time for the world to bask in the music of L.A. Mitchell. Unpacking concepts of identity and purpose, Glove asks big questions appropriate for an artist of such timeless talent and considerable contribution to Aotearoa music.
“Glove weighs up these two themes of ‘I can do anything I set my mind to’ and ‘the spiritual pursuit of purpose’,” says Lauren. “I’m wrestling with the conflict and distance between the two - what if it’s your purpose, but you don’t win at it?”
Co-written with fellow celebrated Aotearoa artist Anna Coddington, the track was recorded between Lauren’s home in Addington and Diamond Harbour, Ōtautahi, with production and mixing from Mark Perkins and mastering by Brock McFarlane and CPS.
Also being shared is a short visualiser made alongside Naomi Hausmann and Loren-Jaclyn Kett, with dance choreography from Julia McKurrow. The visual aims to solidify the intense feelings behind the songwriting process of Glove - where there is a tussle between two opposites expressed through movement - the restrictive where things are happening to you without a sense of choice, versus the wider expression of movement and freedom of choice.
Watch the visualiser HERE
“The weight of my songwriting has been in the observation of emotion, and my difficulty in comprehending myself as separate from what I feel,” says Lauren. “This song is straddling ‘the felt’ and ‘the real’, as if they are separate.”
With a myriad of honest songwriting on the way for listeners to enjoy, reflective of an extensive career in New Zealand music, L.A. Mitchell is back and here to stay!
Photo Credit: Naomi Haussmann
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