It seems, at 21 years old, Lauren Auder has a fascinating attraction to the tension between the old and the new.
The London-based French musician has just released their latest EP, two caves in, and the five-track offering spans a breathtaking landscape of classical sonic influence combined with bleak and complex modern narratives.
From classical string arrangements to hip hop beats, introduce yourself to the singular world of rising star Lauren Auder, who finds a home in the comfort of paradox.
Perhaps Auder’s fascination comes from growing up in Albi, a town in the Southwest of France. Whilst the immense Gothic Cathedral of Saint Cecilia may have been at the centre of their hometown, Auder was drawn to the digital world, where they found a community in the transcendent space of the internet, without history and borders. It makes sense then that Auder’s music would capture this unlikely union.
Auder found themselves part of an underground community of rappers and noise musicians and began lending experimental beats and vocals to artists including Jeshi and slowthai. In 2018, they released their debut EP, Who Carry’s You – melding the classical sound that has become idiosyncratic of Auder, with the hip hop, post-rock, and noise influences they had picked up along the way.
Now, on two caves in, Auder takes the seeds sown on their initial release, focusing their vision with even more precision. From the urgent strings of opener june 14, to the Blade Runner-esque sirens of in god’s childlike hands, the EP traces an otherworldly space, blending classical sonic instrumentation with modern beats and contemporary lyrical themes. It’s a paradox in which Auder seems to find comfort.
That tension is evident from the opening lines of june 14 where Auder ironically expresses a feeling of getting old, whilst narrating the nascence of a first sexual relationship between two characters: “If you put my hand up to your throat / Tiger you know we’re getting old.”
Auder has described that in creating two caves in, he drew inspiration from the poems of William Blake. Accompanied by collaborator and bandmate DVIANCE, the pair took to the Jura Mountains on the border between France and Switzerland to record the collection.
Tracing an ebbing flow of fervent climaxes and intimate moments of secrecy, two caves in is always anchored by Auder’s low, aching vocals reminiscent of the richness of King Krule. The world of Lauren Auder contains a gripping journey of unlikely proportions, and it’s one definitely worth taking. We can’t wait to see what they come out with next.
two caves in is out now, via True Panther/Caroline Australia. Grab your copy here.
