I’m a huge fan of the band Lawrence, but probably not a typical one in that I’m closer to their parents age than them. But, that gives me a different perspective and insight on their music.
The band is fronted by brother and sister, Clyde and Gracie Lawrence from New York and is hard to genre-fy, other than to say they are great singers, performers, lyricists and musicians. Their songs lean towards kitschy-pop with a strong portion of funk and soul. In that way, they’re probably most similar to Vulfpeck. A lot of their lyrics deal with maturing and young adulthood angst and can be amusing and touching simultaneously.
I first saw them at Sweetwater 420 Fest in Atlanta in spring 2022 and then again at Hulaween that same year. I know that they gave the crowds a jolt and earned many new fans both times (videos are up on YouTube). Gracie has an amazing stage presence and absolutely great pipes and Clyde is a stand out singer and performer as well.
Family Business is their first new album in three years and on the first listen, it knocked me out. The listeners’ journey through this album is a roller coaster of feelings and there’s a ton of switchbacks and surprises which I’ll take you through in this coverage. The album is terrific and for me, it hits hard – I find it very ‘moving.’
Whatcha Want blasts off with a chorus accompanying Gracie’s siren blast of vocals, “Eyes on me, Tell me what you want, Tell me what you need.” It’s an anthemic with some horn licks reminscent of Kool & The Gang from the 70s. Midway the band stops on a dime before reigniting with the upbeat chanting vocals.
Guy I Used To Be is an uber catchy Clyde vehicle, highlighting his soulful vocals. It’s a classic love song with him lamenting for a past love but in a totally upbeat manner. The song is well put together and balanced bouncy instrumentation and lyrics.
The bridge slow down to only Clyde singing builds back up to the melodic retro theme and the horns kick in full steam.
Do is a call to action, to take care of biz. It’s classic Lawrence fun, with Gracie and Clyde taking turns trading vocals and then the full chorus pitching in. It sounds like a party and you can be sure that they’ll have the crowd singing along when they perform this live.
Something in the Water talks about young adult angst of nonconformance with societal norms. Bucking the trend is the Lawrence way as is making upbeat music that is at the same time temperamental.
Hip Replacement is one of my favorites on the album. It’s unmistakingly a Tower of Power homage. The horn and guitar line is straight up “What Is Hip?” reference material. The opening horn and 16th note base lien was a tip off but the guitar line early on is a fingerprint. The lyric is telling people to lay off, the reputation is fine (without a hip replacement). It’s a bit kitschy but that’s fine with me. As the line at the end says, “that’s so epic!”
i‘m confident that I’m insecure is one of the most clever songs lyrically. Sure enough, when they performed this song at Hulaween 2022 and said it was just the 2nd time, they had the whole crowd singing the refrain and it was fantastic to hear. Gracie has the lead here and she’s got an incredible voice and stage presence to pull it off.
Promotion has a New Orleans vibe to it with a great percussion theme. It’s more stripped down than most of the tunes on the album, primarily with the dual vocals, percussion and whistling (to great effect).
23 is another Gracie vehicle about being 23 and expecting to have a great year, but having anxiety about the future. The nearest comparison I can draw is Lesley Gore’s It’s My Party, updated by 60 years! At the end, it’s good riddance to that year.
Circle Back features a wonderfully prominent bass line throughout to accompany Clyde’s lead vocals. It’s a great old school funky soul ballad covering the separation and then reuniting of a couple in love.
Death of Me is a Gracie lead with a another contradictory lyric “Life is gonna be the death of me.” It’s got sections with a huge wall of sound like a blast from the past with the a fade to a bridge that’s a bit more futuristic. It’s bouncy and full of energy.
Funeral is a quiet and melancholy song about attending ones’ own funeral seeing everyone’s reaction and the impact that one’s death has on them. The instrumentation is simply Gracie and piano and it’s elegant.
Family Business is a dance party tune through and through. It ultimately describes the band’s family business with not only Clyde and Gracie but their bandmates who are all long time friends. I’ve seen writeups where, to their credit, Lawrence runs all aspects of the band, from the writing, performing, booking, and merch all the way through. Good for them!
Conflict Resolution is a truly moving piece. It starts with Clyde and Gracie as toddlers talking to their grandfather, Lee. Throughout the tune, beginning, middle and end, they drop in recoding from him with words of wisdom. It’s quite touching and it hits me right in the kishkes when I hear him speak of his family. It’s an wonderful tribute to him and to them. What a fantastic finale to this terrific album.
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