ION INDIE MAGAZINE October 2014, Volume 5 | Page 60

“There’s always been a complete lack of inhibition in our live show,” Lauren shares. “I don’t know if that’s necessarily been captured the same way on our recordings. So with this record we tried to embrace that sense of abandon and emotional catharsis in the studio as well. We didn’t hold anything back.” Says Lauren of “Monuments”, “I’m a pretty stoic person, but when I heard this new record I actually cried. I think it expresses the story of what brought us here, and is in a lot of ways a celebration of not giving up. It sounds like who we really are.” On opening track “Black Stone”, Lauren delivers all the scintillating shredding befitting of and stacking up to any of today’s Rock virtuosos. At the record’s emotional epicenter is “Gleam”--a dedication to ESME BARRERA, one of Lauren’s fellow “Girl’s Rock Camp” volunteers (a project near and dear to Lauren’s heart) who was murdered during the writing of the record. “’Monuments’ began as an attempt to deal with loss, yearning, and struggle,” Lauren says. “But it became a process through which I learned to really embrace this life, loved-ones and this chance to make music.” The “Monuments” CD was recorded with Grammy-winning Producer ADAM KASPER (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, CAT POWER, FOO FIGHTERS, NIRVANA) at ROBERT LAND STUDIOS and STUDIO X in Seattle, WA. To date, UME considers “Monuments” their most “heavy” sounding recording. According to Lauren, the recording process was about “just playing the songs and letting the sounds unfurl in an honest and true way”. For the band, it was as much about self-discovery as it was about the expression within. Lauren talks about her time with Producer Kasper and his input and guidance regarding “Monuments”: “Adam gravitated toward a lot of my demos that I was unsure about and he helped me see myself as a songwriter for the first time,” Lauren says. “I felt we could take more risks, because we could be free from all preconceptions and ultimately focus on the songs. So one moment, we’re drawing inspiration from a Dionne Warwick record I found at an estate sale, and on the next track, I’m trying to channel my inner-Iommi.”