by danielle holian
photo courtesy of lawrence
Lawrence is an eight-piece soul-pop band led by sibling duo Clyde & Gracie, and they're back with a 2021 anthem that will instantly lift your spirits. “Don't Lose Sight” is a track about perseverance and determination; in it, the band preaches the importance of staying strong and ignoring the haters. It will be on their upcoming album, out this summer, with a headline tour to follow. The album will also feature “Casualty,” “It's Not All About You,” “Weather,” and “Freckles,” which has gathered tens of millions of streams across all platforms. Unclear Magazine caught up with Lawrence to discuss all things music.
For our readers, please tell us a bit about your background in music.
Clyde: “Gracie and I are siblings, so we have been playing music together since we were little kids in New York City. I was more focused on songwriting and playing instruments as a young child, while Gracie was more focused on singing and performing. But over time, we began to learn from each other and be inspired by each other’s skill sets. We played at school events, small bars around NYC, not to mention every night in our living room, and it eventually morphed into a real professional endeavor. We picked up some amazing musicians along the way, who happened to be some of our best friends from childhood, high school, and college, and eventually started touring full time as Lawrence!”
Tell us about your brand-new single “Don't Lose Sight” and why was it important to create a high-energy release?
Gracie: “We are suckers for very energetic, full music — music that most people think of as their ‘road trip music’ is our favorite music always. We grew up listening to Motown records with strings and horns and background singers — music that just makes you feel really good the moment it starts, and very satisfied by how big it feels by the end. I think ‘Don’t Lose Sight’ follows that trajectory — or at least, we hope it does…”
Who or what are your musical influences as individuals and how do they come together for the band's sound and message?
G: “I think from a songwriting perspective Clyde and I probably have a lot of the same role models… Carole King, Randy Newman, The Beatles, etc… But from a vocal perspective, I kind of worship people who’s voices have personality that feels authentic. So growing up that was Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Amy Winehouse, Janis Joplin, Linda Ronstadt, Debbie Harry. More modern examples like Billie Eilish or Miley Cyrus or Nellie Mckay or Norah Jones or St. Vincent are incredible because you feel like you get to know them through the vocal choices they make. I like singers who care about telling the story.”
C: “And we are definitely influenced by groups from the 70s that used horns in a soulful pop context. So artists like Stevie Wonder, Chicago, Earth Wind & Fire, and others.”
You've opened for many great names like Lake Street Dive, Vulfpeck, Jon Bellion, Soulive, Jacob Collier, Blues Traveler, O.A.R, and Bernhoft. What did you gain from this experience?
G: “I probably gained a few pounds from eating every snack in hotel vending machines while on tour (Doritos taste incredible post-show and I have absolutely zero regrets). In terms of other types of gain, I feel like I’ve learned that it’s rare that you watch someone and think they’re enjoying themselves too much. Everyone we’ve opened for has been not just a good musician, but a supremely good performer. The artist sort of sets the bar for how much fun you’re allowed to have in the audience — if they’re having fun then you’re allowed to have that much fun too… if they’re not, then dancing your face off in the audience can feel intimidating or embarrassing. So I try every night to have a really good time for not just the audience but for myself, because I think by being a little selfish and enjoying the show I actually have the power to invite everyone else to the party too.”
You announced a headline tour alongside the release of your upcoming album. What can fans expect from this tour?
G: “It’ll be like attending a Bar Mitzvah every night if the theme was 70’s funk, and the band was actually good (#brag). Bring Nana and get ready to do the cha-cha slide.”
C: “We’re really proud of the fact that our live shows are completely live. There are no pre-recorded tracks, which presents challenges sometimes because our music these days includes plenty of really interesting digital sounds that are hard to replicate with our instruments. But it’s a fun challenge — how to take eight musicians playing on live instruments and make something that sounds not exactly the same as the recording, but just as fun and exciting in a different way.”
What do you want the listeners to take away from your music?
G: “I hope people feel permission to feel happy and sad at the same time, because that’s pretty much how I feel every hour of the day. Sometimes I feel like songs force you to choose how you need to feel at a given moment, and sometimes the answer is you feel like laughing and crying. But for us, ‘Don’t Lose Sight,’ the boppiest of bops, has verses and a bridge about wanting to give up and a chorus about being unwaveringly hopeful — all in the span of a three minute song. Another song, ‘Hotel TV,’ the title track of our album is about what looking at a hotel TV makes you feel and think about… and that isn’t one specific emotion, but it’s a mixture of melancholy, nostalgia and joy, and I hope that combination of feelings actually hits home (or hotel) even harder for people.”
How has the pandemic helped your creative juices?
C: “We love touring and playing shows, and it has been the centerpiece of how we have built our fanbase up to this point, so for the last several years we’ve spent a significant amount of time on the road. All of that being said, there has been something nice creatively about being forced to stay in one place for a while, not just in terms of having more time to make Lawrence music, but also to allow ourselves to explore some other projects or passions we would never have had as much time for in the past. Obviously we wish it was under better circumstances, but I think we’ve definitely learned some lessons that we’ll carry with us going forward.”
What drives you forward as an artist?
G: “Vandy Newman, our tour van.”
C: “That and the hummus that we eat in the green room every night.”
And finally, what’s one fun fact about yourself for our readers?
G: “I was born in a blow up bathtub in the middle of my childhood bedroom. Whenever I feel like an anxious, insecure person who isn’t ‘rock n roll’ enough, I remind myself that I emerged into this world in a very no-f’s-given way… and that helps for about two minutes before I’m neurotic again.”
C: “I’m colorblind!”