Alt-Pop Artist Lauren Presley Sets Debut EP 'Hanging In The Balance'

Rising alt-pop artist Lauren Presley is set to make waves with her highly anticipated debut EP, Hanging In The Balance, due April 18. A deeply personal exploration of self-doubt, resilience, and the pursuit of happiness. Standout single, "People Leave," touches on personal topics of abandonment and how experiences growing up have affected her relationships as an adult.

Lauren shares “This one means so much to me and has been something I've struggled with a lot for years, but writing and putting this out has been so healing. I think anyone with trust issues will unfortunately relate,” she  adds, “It’s been engraved into my brain that people leave and I can’t trust that they won’t. So when I have someone who stays, who reassures me, who gives me everything I’ve been looking for, it’s hard for my brain to accept that. Now after years of healing, I feel like I have mostly rewired my brain to just accept love.”

Hanging In The Balance crafts an intimate yet powerful narrative that speaks to the struggles of navigating uncertainty. The 5-track EP is a journey through the highs and lows of self-acceptance, offering a raw and unfiltered look into her personal experiences. Each track delivers a different shade of vulnerability, tied together by Lauren’s signature blend of dark pop and alt-pop influences. The EP’s production balances moody atmospherics with dynamic arrangements, elevating the emotional depth of Lauren’s storytelling. From heart-wrenching ballads to brooding, beat-driven anthems.

On Hanging In The Balance, Lauren emphasizes “Working on this project has been incredibly healing for me. Talking through things with my collaborators, writing, singing it, thinking deeply about all of it, has helped me come to terms with things. My hope is people who hear it will hear that it comes from a very real place within me, and they connect with it, and realize they aren’t alone in those thoughts/struggles. I think just simply knowing that somebody else really ‘gets it’ is a comforting thing.”

Lauren Presley, a Texas native, now based in Nashville, has quickly established herself as a force in the pop and alt-pop scene. Lauren’s ability to craft music that resonates on a deeply emotional level has earned her critical acclaim from Wonderland, Notion, Earmilk, Popfiltr, Kings of A&R, and more. Since the release of her debut single “A Little Longer” which has amassed over 1 million Spotify streams and 5.6 million YouTube views, Lauren has only continued to grow, earning a coveted cover feature on Spotify’s Fresh Finds: Pop playlist.

Photo credit: Sean McGee