Laura Marling will release her new album, Short Movie, through Ribbon Music on March 24. The album is Marling’s fifth in seven years, effectively marking this barely 25-year-old a precocious and prolific songwriter. Recording since the age of 17, Marling’s output has established her as a well-respected artist, and an emblem of the UK roots-revival scene, with a wise, dusky voice that conjures a young Joni Mitchell.
The newest single off of the album, “False Hope,” was released on Tuesday, January 20th, and you can listen to it here. With “False Hope” added to the released portion of the album, fans have been discovering a more polished sound on the album, as opposed to the rawness of her previous ones. They remain loyal, however, to the full, warm, and rich sound that remains Marling’s trademark.
The album may surprise fans with its prevalence of electric guitar. Along with plugging in for the first time, Marling chose to produce the album herself. She pushed her band to record live and insisted the string players perform “blind,” only hearing each track once before recording their parts. The result is a far bigger, bolder and looser sounding album than any of its predecessors.
Marling co-produced the album with her drummer Matt Ingram and studio engineer Dan Cox. Recorded at Urchin Studios in London, she was joined by her longtime collaborator and friend Ruth De Turberville on cello, Nick Pini on bass and Tom Hobden. You can watch the video for the titled track, “Short Movie,” below:
