REVIEW: Lauren Presley Declares a Warning to Us All in Bold New Single ‘Sirens’
REVIEW
REVIEW
☆ BY KATIE SLATER ☆
Photo by Sean McGee
ALTERNATIVE ROCK STAR LAUREN PRESLEY RELEASES HER LATEST SINGLE “Sirens,” today—an impressive fourth addition to this year’s discography. Known for her vulnerable and reflective takes on personal relationships, “Sirens” departs from the singer’s usual style by providing commentary on a much wider cultural issue. Addressing the modern chaos of social media addiction, Presley analyzes an issue many artists shy away from.
While completely normalised in contemporary society, phone addiction is certainly no joke. With social platforms deliberately designed to be addictive, Presley hits the issue head-on as she sings “all this dopamine but I can’t feel.” As our brains become flooded with stimulation from our phones, it becomes harder to create dopamine from less intense sources, making the rest of the world feel increasingly dulled down.
Presley uses the choruses of her new track to reinforce this idea, framing it in several ways. Moving from the normalization of on-screen violence to the worryingly common ability to ignore our brain’s warning sirens, the singer-songwriter does not shy away from a topic few musicians feel comfortable addressing. Despite signals of overstimulation, numbness and moments feeling increasingly “empty,” we persevere in the virtual world. Using imagery associated with recreational substances such as “inject it like a virus” and “wire it into my brain,” she employs an extended metaphor to portray the gravity of the communal crisis.
Supporting these important lyrics, the instrumentation of “Sirens” is incredibly fitting. Experimenting with various subgenres in her electric, indie rock/pop sound, Presley has displayed a growing influence of heavier rock since the 2024 release of “People Leave.” Opening with a wall of distorted power chords, this track is no exception. With strong dissonances in the harmonic progression, the movement could even be perceived as borrowing elements from the metal. Laced with an anger less commonly heard in Presley’s earlier music, it is clear from the outset that this is a song created with a vengeance.
Certainly a vocal force, we really see the talented singer utilize the extent of her voice in “Sirens.” Competing against dense instrumental passages throughout, her urgency is depicted clearly. Belting throughout the chorus, Presley contrasts long sustained notes with short rhythmic phrases, maintaining a power which draws attention. Successfully battling against the strong backdrop, her use of voice is symbolic of the constant struggle for autonomy in a world drowning in digital volume.
A track as culturally relevant as it is personally reflective, the suffering Presley depicts throughout this song is both over-felt and underrepresented. With no denying the courage required to release a negative take on platforms relied upon by the majority of artists, it is a song guaranteed to turn heads. Constantly evolving thematically, Lauren Presley is an incredibly exciting artist, with a quickly growing discography to back it up.
