Liz Lawrence - “Drive”

SXSW 2022 - OEB Score: 8; Popularity Index: 7

Pairs Well With…St Vincent, Pip Blom, Blondie

2021’s The Avalanche sees Liz Lawrence at her most experimental, following up the excellent dream pop record Pity Party with a wild mix of industrial pop, new wave rock, and dense synth pop. There’s still a power-pop accessibility to Lawrence’s songwriting, but the electro-funk and alt-rock grooves fully stand out with hooked ease. Songs like “Saturated” and “Where the Bodies are Buried” are full-on dance pop - Lawrence is so committed that she makes it work, eschewing subtly for post-punk melodies and anthemic ambition. (Kevin McStravick)

2020 Review: Liz Lawrence’s Pity Party is a full record of power pop, indie rock, and folk-based influences, a catchy, soft pop collection of songs that are rewarding in their sonic details and changes. “Navigator” seesaws ambience and sunny, upbeat pop while “USP” embraces grunge groove and jangly dream pop, completely different sides of the subtle experimenter. The UK artist has a fuller embrace of new wave and synth pop melody on Pity Party, a sharp sunny/dark dichotomy to the garage rock crunch on songs like “Life Again” and “Want”.