Stream: Lauren Bird – ‘Goodbye, Good Luck’

We are over the moon to finally reveal the end product of our Kickstart 2015 competition; the new single from Lauren Bird, ‘Goodbye, Good Luck‘. Lauren left us spell bound throughout the competition so it fantastic to see her hard work pay off.

Despite the cheery ukulele sounds and sporadic hand claps, it is an honest and heartfelt song that sums up her knack for songs dealing in heartbreak and anxiety.

► Music Video

Part of the Kickstart prize was for Dog Kennel Productions to produce a music video for the new single and they have done a terrific job.

► Lauren’s Thoughts

I think it is always exciting for musicians to get in the studio, that and playing live for me are my favourite things and I was especially excited to get to record at Millbank Studios with Michael Mormecha and James Lyttle. I have a hard time giving my songs up for other people to work on, I’m the first to admit I am a bit of a control freak but I felt like it was in safe hands. The song I recorded is ‘Goodbye, Good Luck’ and I wrote it a few years ago on the sofa of my student flat in the Holylands and immediately knew it was a keeper. As it was written a while ago I have played it many times and always the same way, just me and my ukulele so it was nice to be able to bounce it off fresh ears and get a new take on it.

The day started off with Michael and I just playing through it with him on drums and immediately it clicked. I loved what Michael did as the drums on the song are so unconventional but they work so perfectly and really lift it. My main concern with the song was that the way I played it gets quite repetitive and we discussed ways of changing the arrangement in each verse to make it feel different. He suggested starting the song with some claps, which finally fulfilled my dream of clapping on a track (I pride myself on being a good clapper). I always play uke and it doesn’t fill the same amount of space on a track as a guitar does but we all agreed that it was an integral part to the song and my sound in general. They thought the best way to showcase it was to avoid the usual band set up and keep it mainly as uke and percussion; I think that worked out well. Once we laid down the drums, uke and vocals it was just a matter of adding other timbres to keep it interesting and to fill out the arrangement. Michael added a shaker all in one take and not even missing a beat when a chicken came up to the window next to him, it might be the most impressive thing I’ve ever witnessed! I added some harmony lines and then we took a break from it for a bit to give our ears a rest. This mainly included me petting their cat and falling in love with their flat-wound stringed Fender bass. I still think about it. The final touches to the song were a little piano part that I improvised over the track and some double bass on the final chorus, then it felt complete.

The song itself sounds so different now but without changing its core. James mixed it and very few things were changed after his first draft, which is a huge testament to his ability as a producer because I am the most nitpicky person on the planet. Working with the guys at Millbank will definitely inform the way I arrange my songs in the future and they have set the bar very high for my next studio experience. Winning Kickstart has been so great in allowing me to get to work with such great people and I cannot thank Chordblossom enough for everything. I feel like if I can listen to the song and not immediately recoil at my own voice then it’s good and I can do that with the single, so hopefully you can enjoy it too!

► Purchase ‘Goodbye, Good Luck’ & Single Launch Details

The song is now available for purchase on Bandcamp and the music video is due later this week. If you would like to see Lauren Bird live, her single launch is Friday 28th August in the Bar With No Name.

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