Louise Aubrie Talks New Album, Single And More

Louise Aubrie is a London-born, indie rock artist who splits her time between the UK and the US. She has released her new single ‘Midnight Calls’ from her forthcoming sixth studio album ‘LFA’. We caught up with her to find out more:

 

What is your earliest musical memory?

Sitting with my parents looking at their vinyls! They had such eclectic taste, from the New York Dolls to Sinatra, and they would go to Ronnie Scott’s and The 100 Club in London regularly. Although my music is in the indie pop/rock world, I do so love Sinatra and I remember hearing ‘Strangers In The Night’ and just loving it!

 

When did you begin songwriting?

I’ve written my whole life, and I guess started to record things myself when I was quite young – maybe 20 years ago! My first experience in the studio was at Mill Hill Studios in North London, where I learned the art of vocal recording for sure!

 

You have your sixth studio album ‘LFA’ being released very soon. How did you want to approach the making of the album?

 

This record is really special and I wrote it whilst living in Los Angeles. I’m from London but have spent about a decade living in New York, and then I moved across to California.

During lockdown in 2020, I was working on my previous album ‘Antonio’ and because everyone started doing things remotely, I reached out to some contacts on the West Coast, in particular Ken Sluiter, who agreed to mix the album. When we were able to travel again, I met up with Ken in CA and discussed putting a band together to make a new record in LA, which became LFA.

Approach-wise, it’s a love letter to LA about being on the edge of possibilities and finding a new home in the crazy Hollywood city. I would write a lot whilst wandering around the Hollywood Hills – they became a real inspiration, with all the legends who have walked there!

 

Where did you record the album and who produced it?

 

We recorded at the legendary East West Studios in Hollywood, CA. Ken Sluiter has worked there for years and just loves the vibe. Ken arranged the logistics, the musicians and he mixed/produced it.

 

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the recording sessions?

 

One big thing, which is certainly memorable if not funny, is that at the end of the first recording day, I was walking back to my apartment and hit my head on a concrete pillar and managed to cut it open! I wasn’t drinking and I wasn’t on my phone… I think I was perhaps just in a daze from the dream of recording in LA! Luckily, I was okay but I did spend the rest of the tracking days with concussion!!!

 

Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?

 

I definitely had a sound in mind for the record.

I wanted the record to be very direct, punchy and tight with nothing left to be taken out.

The way I write is to put everything down in the demo – drums, bass, guitars, keys, percussion, vocals – everything I want on the record, and then send to my producer and get some fantastic folks to make it all come alive. I don’t usually play myself on the records (with the exception of some keys on this one).

Whilst writing I was using a Martin acoustic, a Les Paul electric and then a KORG keyboard but I let the terrific players bring it to life with their own vibes and sounds!

 

Which of your new album tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

 

I think ‘Midnight Calls’ which is the first single to be released is perhaps the happiest track – it really is a love letter to LA and I wrote it driving around whilst looking for somewhere to live. The hook ‘I’m on the edge and you’ve got the looks that kill’ speaks to being on the edge of a new beginning and to being with in a city where looks can be everything!

 

None of the tracks are angry on this record! But I think perhaps the most spiky track is ‘Dress Like A Hero’ which is definitely trying to address someone’s issues… lines like ‘you wouldn’t admit what you said when you were tight’ and ‘you don’t understand why I’m here with my head in my hands’, so it is argumentative for sure.

 

There are a number of reflective tracks, and the one that is most special to me is ‘Vienna’ which will be the next single. I wrote it thinking of a time in lockdown, and it is actually a love letter to Billy Joel’s most beautiful track ‘Vienna’, as well as being very cinematic with lines such as ‘now I’m beautifully lit and you wonder what if I’m really as I seem’.

 

Who were the musicians who were on the album with you?

I was so very lucky on this record! We had:

 

· Electric Guitars: Keith Scott (Best known as being Bryan Adams’ guitarist and MD since the late 1970s and has played on all of Bryan’s worldwide hits. He has also worked with Tina Turner, Cher, David Bowie and Bryan Ferry amongst many others.)

· Bass Guitar: Solomon Walker (Morrissey, Liz Phair, Bryan Adams)

· Drums and Percussion: Charlie Paxson (Drummer on James Blunt’s global multi-platinum selling record ‘Back to Bedlam’. He currently regularly tours with Belinda Carlisle and Smashmouth amongst others.)

· Keyboards: Roger Joseph Manning Jr (Beck, Jay-Z, Blink 182, The Killers, co-founder of Jellyfish.)

· Mixed/Engineered/Produced by Ken Sluiter (Morrissey, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sum 41, and Marc Almond)

· Mastering: Dave Collins (Grammy Award winning mastering engineer and has worked with numerous musicians including Soundgarden, Weezer,

Madonna, The Police, Black Sabbath, Bruce Springsteen among many many others.)

 

Does the album’s title have a specific meaning/significance?

 

I wanted it to mean whatever you want it to! People have come up with all sorts of ideas (as have I) for the initials of LFA, including Lyrical Fearless Awesome, and Listen Feeling Amazing which are two of my favourites, but I just wanted it to be something short, sweet and open to interpretation. Or is it just my initials.

 

Was it a difficult album to write?

Luckily no! I just really tuned into being a new environment on the West Coast and as they say, a change is as good as a rest, so being around new people and places just gave me that jumpstart. I’ve always loved the golden age of Hollywood (in fact, my album ‘When I Don’t Love You I’ll Let You Know’ was inspired by Cary Grant movies) and I could feel that all around. One of the tracks on LFA (Harder To Say) is very much inspired by Mabel Normand who was an amazing silent film actress, producer, writer and businesswoman. She had her own studio and directed Chaplin and Arbuckle, but sadly her name isn’t as widely known.

 

Who designed the album artwork?

 

It was me together with my long term art designer Brianne Farquhar. I met Brianne many years ago in New York and she’s been producing beautiful work for me since my first record! The picture is actually a still from the ‘Vienna’ video, interwoven with the LFA logo. Vienna is the most special to me, so it made sense to have that on the cover.

 

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

London is my hometown. Home, iconic, loving, green, gritty!

 

How do you look after your voice?

I don’t have a set routine, but I don’t smoke and I drink hot water all day!

 

Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2026?

 

Not currently but we’ll be looking at that later in the year when the full record is released!

 

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

 

Connection and memories.

 

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

 

I spent nearly a decade playing my Martin acoustic guitar on stage but then more recently decided to just sing on stage, rather than sing and play. Mic-wise, I’m happy to go with whatever the venues have; I am not a stickler for anything in particular – for me, one of the best things about playing live is that it is different every time, and that includes the stage, lights, load in, audience, everything!

 

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

 

I’m actually not a big reader of fiction. I far prefer reading about people’s lives and accomplishments rather than a story. So although not a novel, I loved the book of Mabel Normand’s life ‘The Life And Career Of A Hollywood Madcap’ by Timothy Dean Lefler. As I mentioned, ‘Harder To Say’ was inspired by Mabel, and it would be wonderful to score out the rest of her very colorful life!

 

One of the tracks is the single ‘Midnight Calls’. What was the story/inspiration behind the song?

 

Midnight Calls was conceived when I was on a recce trip in LA just prior to moving there as my permanent base. We were driving around all day for about 2 weeks and it was a magical time. The lyrics are very much placed there… walking in the small hours… we’re alive with the songbirds…. It’s always interesting when you have a life in both the UK and US as I find I am awake at all times of the day and night catching up with people, which can trick your brain into new areas of creativity.

 

The hook of ‘I’m on the edge and you’ve got the looks that kill’ is really about me being on the edge of moving home, but also of a change in emotions that come when making a big move, and the looks that kill is kind of speaking to Hollywood and the drama of that crazy city! ‘Running around in the shadow of the Hollywood Hills’ is self explanatory and the song just came to me whilst driving around at all times of the night and day.

 

Do you have any visualisers to accompany the album?

 

I have a music video which is a really cool mix of behind-the-scenes recording at East West and all the places I was driving around whilst writing. 

 

 

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

 

I feel like I bring together the musical influences that are most important to me, starting with Elvis and Sinatra. Now, my music sounds nothing like either of these men, but for pure musicality, no one comes close (or will ever) to Frank’s style and phrasing in a song. He never once sounded unsure in his attack. And Elvis is, of course, the King. You might as well start at the top!

After that foundation, I was drawn way back via my parents to the 70’s – Bowie, Blondie, The Ramones, and then coming up to The Smiths, Pet Shops Boys in the 80’s, and Garbage and Suede in the 90’s. So it started with the Chairman of the Board and the King. I am obviously not alone in citing these men, but it’s amazing that they still inspire people, long after their deaths, in so many ways. My music is not Swing or Lounge, but all of that is in my heart, which is the place from where all my songs come.

 

What makes Louise Aubrie happy and what makes you unhappy?

 

The ‘simple’ things make me happy. Being with loved ones and feeling their warmth, love and comfort. Unhappiness is unfortunately everywhere you look, but I think the only way to cope is to concentrate on the love you have.

Feature Image Photo Credit: Linda Shakesby