REVIEW: Rising Star Lauren Presley Dishes Out a Halloween Treat With Latest Single “Straitjacket”
REVIEW
REVIEW
☆ BY KATIE SLATER ☆
Joining the likes of The Last Dinner Party and Luvcat in a growing era of the dark feminine, rising artist Lauren Presley has arrived with the pop answer.
With her latest single “Straitjacket” set for release on the spookiest day of the year, the sinisterly cinematic track delves into the darkest edges of a toxic relationship, exploring elements of control and deceit.
In a world where strong women are still labeled with distasteful accusations of craziness, “Straitjacket” acts as both the personification and the antidote. Choosing to lean into this trope rather than shy away from its connotations, she displays the signs of someone who has in fact been driven to madness by their gaslighter, in a powerful “what if” moment.
From start to end, Presley’s new single holds a cinematic quality that wouldn’t sound out of place in some of this century’s most epic action films. Thanks to a highly-skilled blend of powerful production, impactful songwriting and powerhouse vocals, “Straitjacket” packs an undeniably attention-grabbing punch.
Opening with a section of sustained, dissonant piano chords that have a Bond-like quality to them, Presley’s vocals enter the eerie backdrop, distorted and highly compressed. Singing ironically of the nerve she has to “make [her] own decisions,” the rising star introduces this instant theme of repression and suffocation as her condensed vocals ache to burst into something more expansive.
A swift move into the chorus unleashes much of this building tension as the soundscape suddenly widens, transforming from this delicately acoustic sound to a building wall of electronic sound.
Catchy in its simple yet poignant lyrics, the chorus acts as a mightily effective earworm, infecting the brain with its glossy textures.
Perhaps the most impressive element of this single is its ability to continue building momentum. With such an early high point in the structure, the track could easily stumble over its own energy peak, however it displays anything but this.
With the second verse underscored by quivering synths imitating the filmic sustained-strings trope, the song immediately finds its feet after the powerful chorus, laced with drama. Increasingly rare in today’s pop world, Presley sticks to the more traditional songwriting style of a contrasting bridge, dropping to eerie guitar arpeggios in a brilliant moment of energy decrease. Slowly building into a well-delayed climax with steadily rising strings that build to an insane vocal high point, the energy levels are perfectly controlled throughout.
A culminating chorus rendition launches into a final textural contrast as the dub-style basslines drive the ultimate section into a sudden end point.
Displaying herself as a master of energy layering from start to finish, “Straitjacket” is a constant flow of fresh and engaging music that underscores Lauren Presley’s message of female empowerment with staggering glory.
Gaining 10 million streams across all platforms since her debut, with a single as strong and culturally relevant as this, it is clear to see why the powerhouse singer is gaining attention. With a growing national fan base, and well-earned recognition from Spotify after a feature on their flagship playlist Fresh Finds Pop, Presley is swiftly moving into the realms of wider recognition- and what a great single to pave the way.
