Memory & Desire was born out of uncertainty, and came from epiphanies of hope between the questions.
It is an album for the liminal space, the in-between times of transition, caught between what was and what will be. As Lauren Mann’s fourth album, and decisively her most honest and vulnerable, Memory & Desire chronicles the years following her last release Dearestly (2016) with the ending of a marriage, the rediscovery of self, and the exploration of love, community, and meaning. It is, in a sense, a time capsule, but it is also a universal narrative of the human condition.
While Dearestly brought bombastic crescendos and grand production, Memory & Desire reveals a maturity in the evolution of Lauren’s songwriting and musicality. Influenced by the tapestry of music on the Gulf Islands where she has put down her roots for the last five years, Lauren has stayed true to her alt pop sensibilities while exploring jazzy vocal riffs and bluesy guitar lines. The oft type-casted ukulele has been replaced with a tenor guitar, shifting her sound to something reminiscent of Beth Orton or Carole King.
Aided by producer and long-time collaborator Josh Rob Gwilliam, who also co-wrote the second single Dear Forever, Memory & Desire holds the listener in tension, exploring themes of forgiveness, communication, anxiety, and uncertainty in both the ending and the beginning of relationships, with whispers of hope, light, and a deep graceful innocence woven through each song.
After her last release, Lauren took a few years off the road to find her muse again in the midst of great personal challenge and change, soaking up the inspiration of her Gulf Island home and devoting her time to writing. In the process she became quite involved in her local arts community; leading songwriting workshops, collaborating with other musicians, and helping to launch arts programming in visual arts, filmmaking, music and dance through her role as the Creative Director of Ptarmigan Arts, a local arts nonprofit. This creative diversification has continued to inspire Lauren’s own artistic pursuit, giving breadth to her already varied musical abilities. She has explored new directions while maintaining the authenticity that has attracted listeners to her reminiscent folk sound since the beginning in 2009.
Recorded at Lauren’s home in the Gulf Islands, Memory & Desire is an intimate marker of the passage of time, holding space between who she was and who she will be. With deeper honesty, tangible vulnerability, and a renewed effervescence, Lauren Mann is taking herself and her music back to her roots: finding connection and common ground through creating authentic art.