Läpsley on Her Sophomore Album Through Water
Låpsley, real name Holly Fletcher, is a British musician from Liverpool, who has amazed audiences across the world with her spacious, synth pop sound. At only 23, her young age is not an indication of her successful career, with her second album Through Water out today. Last time Backyard Opera sat down with Holly, she discussed the mental burnout that came with her young success and how this forced her to take a break from music. Having found a maturity to balance her mental health with her music career, Låpsley believes the new album is an improvement in every regard.
“It’s almost like a level up,” said Låpsley. “It feels more mature. The way I’m talking about things in my life is a bit less dramatic and more honest and balance. From a production point of view, it’s a lot more polished and delves more into left field shit, which is where I came from; there’s a lot more different influences. I just feel like it’s more on my terms because I’m a lot happier and in a different space.”
The major theme of the album is water, being both in the name of the album and many of the track titles. Låpsley explained she always had an affinity to water, having grown up by the sea in Liverpool, swimming and sailing in it. Her father works as a water engineer, planning water systems and flood planning measures around the world, and as a result, Låpsley was absorbed in that world, learning about the effects of climate change on these aquatic ecosystems. With water as a source of comfort for her, she believed it was a perfect metaphor to allegorise the album’s theme.
“(Water)’s my safe space and my calmness,” explained Låpsley. “When I was looking at naming the record, it’s quite hard to come up with a word or a phrase that sums up the record. It’s about the highs and lows of life and I felt like water was a really great metaphor for that. It’s somewhere that’s super dangerous and scary and dark, but it’s also somewhere that’s calm and beautiful.”
The first song that was recorded was lead single “Womxn”, which marked Låpsley triumphant return to music. After a yearlong break, she walked into a music store one day and bought some studio gear. Feeling like the purchase was “ridiculous”, Låpsley got back into writing music in order to justify the impulse decision. Almost immediately, she wrote and recorded “Womxn”, saying the whole process was “like a movie.” However, Låpsley would also say that “Womxn”, and getting it from the original version to the one that appears on the album, was one of the most difficult songs of the record.
“I redid the vocals so many times and in the end went with the original one,” said Låpsley. “I redid the vocals so many times over a two-and-a-half-year period and I just couldn’t get that natural kind of quality. I’m really into first takes for vocals and because I had a shitty microphone I was so like ‘oh I’m not going to use the first vocals’. But I worked on a framework of using the originals and beefing them up. That was quite hard to work out what was best for that track.”
On the other side, she named “Speaking of the End” the easiest track of the record, having written it in under two hours and having recorded each part in the first takes. Another highlight on the album is “Bonfire”, which contains a “rich” synth bassline that Låpsley is particularly proud of and excited to perform live. While not on the upcoming album, Låpsley cites last year’s “My Love Was Like the Rain” as the best entry point for new listeners. Released on the These Elements EP, it has the same sonic maturity of the new album, while acting as a thematic precursor to the watery metaphor on Through Water.
“I think it encapsulates that honestly and that duality,” said Låpsley, “but also me from a production point of view. The lyrics, as well, I feel are quite representative of me at my present right now.”
Låpsley has gone from mental exhaustion, to career reclusion, to musical reinvigoration all in the space of a few years. This journey has resulted in an album that explores the ups and downs of not only her life but the lives of young people in general. Through Water is out today via XL Records. Buy it here: https://lapsley.ffm.to/throughwater
