LAURA LORIGA RELEASES NEW SINGLE ‘BLACK ROSE’
NEW ALBUM ‘VEVER’ OUT NOW VIA GOD UNKNOWN RECORDS HERE:
LISTEN TO ‘BLACK ROSE’ HERE:
Laura Loriga is a singer, songwriter, composer and pianist from Bologna, who in the last ten years has developed her work between Italy and the United States. Her writing is based on piano, organ and voice, and it is often enriched by other electric and acoustic elements. The result is a series of dark and variegated compositions, whose roots belong to folk and classical tradition as well as to experimentation and psychedelic drone.
With her previous project, Mimes of Wine, she has released three records (Apocalypse sets in – Midfinger Records / Warner Chappell, 2009, Memories for the Unseen – Urtovox Records, 2012 and La Maison Verte – Urtovox Records / Accidental Muzik, 2016), performing with her band in numerous concerts including Blue Bird Festival (Vienna), Culture Collide Festival (Los Angeles) and Klang Festival (Marche).
‘Vever’, the first album in her name, written in New York between 2018 and 2020, features among others the collaboration of Josh Werner, Otto Hauser, Anni Rossi and Janis Brenner.
“All the songs were composed while living life in the city day to day, and greatly inspired by the dear people around me and the live performances I was lucky to witness in that period,” explains Laura. “My friends have always been great guides for me from the very moment I moved there, helping me to feel at home and to explore continuously, from bookshops to bars, venues, museums, people’s homes, corner shops, I am unable to tell a story about this record that isn’t strongly rooted in this daily dance (and struggle) and importantly in the human relationships that are to me half of my life. Then, from the exceptional music community that surrounded me, I have tried to learn to be light, humble, to embrace what beauty means to me and enjoy the ride while writing and playing to the fullest, wherever that might take me.”
This week sees the release of ‘Black Rose’, a new single culled from ‘Vever’ that perfectly demonstrates the shimmering and quite beautiful atmosphere her music and voice evokes.
“A good friend of mine introduced me to Zbigniew Herbert’s poems several years ago now,” explains Laura. “I was in need of clarity back then, and that black book, with the poet on the cover lighting a cigarette and looking down at the flame, became a point of reference. His ability to convey every meaning with apparent simplicity and uttermost honesty, to speak as if from above the world and from the depths of your own heart at the same time never left me afterwards, and I hope they never will.
“When I was trying to find a new voice of my own, I tried borrowing his words from Black Rose, in what became the first song on Vever (Alissa Valles, the English translator, and the Herbert Estate were very kind to let me use them),” continues Laura. “That poem helped me greatly to define what I tried to do with all the songs that came after as well, both in terms of lyrics and music. I owe a lot to this immense poet and to my friend, and there is a lot I would like to learn from him still.”
Listen to ‘Black Rose’ HERE:
Besides Mimes of Wine, Laura has collaborated with various other artists, including band Giardini di Mirò and songwriter Jaye Bartell. In recent years, she has also contributed to the writing of a number of soundtracks for film and documentaries, including Shelter, Farewell to Heaven and Lucus a Lucendo: About Carlo Levi (both by Caucasus Factory). In addition, Laura has continued a collaboration for several years with composer Leo Z, with whom she has written a series of pieces including a soundtrack for an installation by painter Nicola Verlato for the Toronto White Night (2016), and a collaboration with producer Adam Moseley and Accidental Entertainment.
‘Vever’ is available to pre-order on vinyl from God Unknown Records at: https://godunknownrecords.bandcamp.com/album/vever
Laura Loriga is appearing live at the following dates:
21st August – Tradesman, Brooklyn
1st September – Sundown Bar, New York – With Anni Rossi and Carmen Rothwell
9th September – Sunview Luncheonette, Brooklyn – with Matt Bachmann
4th October – Servants Jazz Quarters, London – with David John Morris
Find Laura Loriga online HERE: