Review: LaureNicole – Preserve Love Here
Courtesy of CarryThe4 PR
Heartbreak, 90s Nostalgia, and a Voice That Could Steal Any Stage.
Every now and then, I take on a review where I know from the start the music won’t end up blasting through my car speakers on repeat. Not because it’s bad—far from it—but because it’s simply not my flavor of sonic coffee. That said, LaureNicole’s Preserve Love Here is one of those releases that deserves a nod of respect for the talent behind it, even if it doesn’t earn a permanent place in my personal playlist.
LaureNicole’s latest EP is a three-track ode to love, in all its messy, heartfelt forms. Think late-90s alt-rock revival with shades of Alanis Morissette and Vertical Horizon, dressed up with modern polish and a razor-sharp female vocal that could peel paint off a wall—in the best possible way. Lauren Nicole’s voice is undeniably the star of the show here: powerful, emotive, and brimming with that lived-in ache you can’t fake.
“I wouldn’t keep it on repeat—but I’d steal Lauren Nicole’s voice for another project in a heartbeat”
The opener, “Love Yourself,” kicks things off with a solid rock foundation and lyrics that, while well-intentioned, tread a bit too close to the self-help aisle. The message is empowering, sure, but it’s been sung (and meme’d) to death in the last decade. Still, the band’s musicianship shines—the groove is tight, the atmosphere just heavy enough to sink your teeth into.
“State of Preservation” leans further into storytelling mode, offering up a detailed, diary-entry approach to heartbreak and survival. I personally prefer a little more mystery in my lyrics, a few cracks for listeners to crawl into and make their own. This track, however, doesn’t leave much wiggle room—you’re trapped inside someone else’s saga. Yet somehow, the band makes it work. The drumming is clever without being showy, the guitars are punchy but not overbearing, and the chorus sticks.
The closer, “Here With You,” is the most laid-back of the three, a slow-burn ballad with military-precision drumming underneath Lauren’s tender vocal line. It builds like it’s going somewhere big, but instead it pulls back, trading drama for a strange, almost relaxing sense of resolve. It’s the sigh after the storm.
Overall, Preserve Love Here feels tailor-made for listeners who miss that raw, angsty, 90s alt-rock energy. This is a record for romance-angry women who wore out their Alanis cassettes, for people nursing heartbreak with one hand on a glass of wine and the other scrolling their ex’s social media, or for anyone getting a little thrill out of watching someone else torch their love story in song form.
Will it live in my personal rotation? Probably not. Would I absolutely steal Lauren Nicole for another project if given the chance? In a heartbeat. Her voice is that good. And that’s why this review exists—to give credit where credit’s due, even when it’s not my personal cup of tea.
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