Marking the second single off her upcoming album A Fiesta and a Hell, LA-based musician and Baltimore native Lauren Lakis takes a gothic approach after “Taking My Hand” with her latest single, “Terror Tears.” Answering the question, “What if shoegaze caught on fire in the early 80s,” Lakis has little patience for the state of the world and declares her position abundantly clear on the darker atmosphere and sharp songwriting. Dropping with an equally disorienting music video, “Terror Tears” plays to modern anxieties through the right amount of aggression and paranoia.
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Not sugarcoating one line, Lakis fires off on the establishment with enough angst for a punk record. But above all else, the atmosphere is the priority. She utilizes reverbed guitars that roar down the same dark tunnel where her vocals seem to be coming from, echoing into the night. She holds her own against the loud instrumental, effortlessly gliding over the noise and giving the hard cold truth, showing no sign of pretension.
Shot primarily in Hollywood, the music video uses Boulevard and other familiar streets as a backdrop for the subject matter. Stylistically, it’s like a homemade film borrowing the aesthetics of a David Lynch film, which is appropriate considering she also works as an actor in film and television.
Dancing up and down the streets, Lakis’ artistic freedom seems to have reached somewhere past the expectations of someone working in music and acting. “I’ve become increasingly disillusioned with our society over the past few years,” said Lakis on the track’s inspiration. “The media propaganda machine, government hypocrisy, and lies, corporate-owned institutions that only seem to tighten their control as the years pass.” For what it’s worth, she’s got control of her passion. And if the powers that be are always watching, then Lakis has a well-deserved audience witnessing her growth.
Words: David Sosa
“Terror Tears” by Lauren Lakis is out on all streaming services. For more on her upcoming album and local shows, including a date at The Echo on June 24th for Dum Dum Fest, also featuring Taleen Kali, Patriarchy, and Iress — follow Lauren Lakis on Instagram and her website.
