Photo: Sarah Butler
The Isle of Wight’s own Lauran Hibberd has returned, to deliver her explosive and fizzy new track Boy Bye.
Suggested to be one of the modern pioneers of slacker rock, Hibberd has provided another one of her satirical and conversational tracks. The lyrics to Boy Bye regard the intricacies of our mundane lives, particularly when it comes to your significant other. She questions their potential future, repeating the idea of ‘if’ something could happen, or what she ‘would’ have done if life had worked out differently.
Lauran Hibberd has been praised for her rapid rise to popularity, following her supporting slots for Hippo Campus and The Regrettes. Later, she grew popular in the eyes of BBC Radio 1, for her singles Old Nudes and Bang Bang Bang, and universal backing from the likes of NME and Billboard. Hibberd clearly doesn’t take herself too seriously, showing a level of self-awareness and humour in her music. Through eye-catching track titles like Hoochie and Sugardaddy, she has developed a cult following of independent women; influencing a new generation of female songwriters.
The distorted and reverb-esque guitar licks in the chorus create a nostalgic feel of the early 2000s, of tracks on Kerrang! and Scuzz. Hibberd’s talkative and chatty vocals sound warm and familiar, whilst simultaneously delivering her own genre of airy indie-pop. The lyrics to Boy Bye sound almost like an argument, or inner monologue with yourself, trying to work out which decision is best to make. As the title suggests, Hibberd has resorted to independence and reliance, despite the inner turmoil. Her delivery of slow and contemporary slacker rock proves for angsty easy listening for the audience, whilst simultaneously being an emotional creative outlet for Hibberd and her band.
“I sort of battle with myself throughout the whole track, the same way you would in your brain when stuff like this happens and you try and justify it to yourself. There’s an odd strength in it though, and I think it’s noticing it and being able to say it out loud that gives it that balls to the wall sort of ‘get lost’ momentum.” – Lauran Hibberd
