Shells;

I have been obsessed with this song the minute I heard it... Seriously, it's been on repeat to the point I wonder if i'll ever get tired with it, yet, each time I hear it, I still feel as if it were the first time. This song is fresh, current and unique. Laurel is able to introduce herself as an artist in the first verse, ensuring all that hear it know exactly what kind of artist she is whilst retaining mystery and intrigue. I would describe her as alternative, with strong pop and electronic influences, immediately becoming the type of the artists I truly admire because she is able to create music which no only grabs the listeners with it's catchy and striking melodies but still able to keep creative integrity by producing a song which immolates the emotions effectively.

As such, Shells, seems to be a song about longing for a lost love and we can see that through the music itself. We feel that distance in the echoey piano, the crackling recording effect (hinting to something from the past), the melancholic harmony in the strings and the lack for a major/minor feel in the piano melody. Again, the repetitiveness of the melodic cell in the piano part can further exaggerate this need for the lost love and/or the confusion felt by the singer, with her thoughts going in circles, just as the melody does. The introduction of the strings thickens this feeling, underlining a feeling of sadness. The long, stroking notes again express this longing and pull for this love to return or the feeling of missing of what you once had.

Then, the beat drops, giving the track a sorta 'drum and bass' feel rather than EDM. I have always felt drum and bass always sounds more grime and rough than EDM does; the beats are dirtier and punch at the track indifferently as opposed to EDM which I feel is a softer and more dance-focused beat; In Shells, the beat is used to grab listeners and it lifts the song (making it seem less melancholic) making listeners want to listen to it again. However, I feel the type of beat it is and how it the other instruments move throughout it, keep it true to the meaning of the song whilst keeping it current and interesting for audiences today.

I have to say my favourite part of the song is the first chorus. The lead up to the moment is wonderfully orchestrated and although simple (the build up is the introduction of the strings and a melody slowly rising and reaching it's highest notes in the chorus), focuses upon the vocals, which are just so striking and fresh, you cannot be anything but captivated by their purity. The melody in the chorus is disjunct, falling and rising, having notes which hit the harmony in a minor way but always having major leaps, as if to never give up on losing what is lost. The rising pattern can either express pain or hope but the fall, which always happens at the end of each line,  eludes to the eventual losing Laurel is describing. I feel the entire feel of the song, the sadness, the mystery and the driving beat, all home to the feeling of jealously, producing a track almost all can relate too whilst placing it in a genre where all can find a part they admire, making this a very important song for the singer.
I think if I had to compare her to any artist it'd be Lana Del Rey purely down to the tone of her voice and the type of music she is releasing, yet, I believe Laurel gives a younger and fresher viewpoint, and by using more electronic elements than the american singer, can and will appeal to popular audiences, perhaps even the charts. Lana is well-known for using orchestration to convey the emotions felt in her songs, not only making her a great song-writer, but also a successful storyteller. I would most definitely link those skills to Laurel too as I can see potential through Shells for this to occur. I most definitely think she will be one to watch in 2015.