LRYN is not an acronym, but if it was, it might stand for Low-key Rekindling Your Night. The project’s pop/R&B music wears a sound palette suited to a sensual evening of flirtatious conversation. With slick beats, smooth key synths, and smoky vocals, LRYN understands that a delicate touch applied to a few sweet spots can ignite a mood with seeming effortlessness.
LRYN is not an acronym, however. It is the revamped musical identity of singer-songwriter Lauryn Hardiman, and the ease with which her music sizzles is deceiving. LRYN’s sound has arguably been in the works for as long as Hardiman has been making music, with prior guitar-driven releases under her full name hinting at the unabashed pop to come. Even her fully acoustic teenager efforts — they’re erased from the web these days — carried a mellow modern soul. In the years since, a combination of increased production savvy and confident attitude cultivated LRYN.
The five tracks that comprise her new debut EP, HERE4EVER, may total less than 13 minutes of playtime, but they took a year and a half to create. Working with producer Logan Bruhn, one of the wizards behind hitmaker Josh Fudge’s repertoire, Hardiman manifests her pop music desires with tight song structures and some of the most comfortable studio performances she has ever delivered.
The result is a breeze of a narrative EP built around amorous ups and downs. Opener “Right Back” crushes hard on someone; “Dress Up” sings about a burgeoning love affair; “Here4Ever” falls seriously head over heels; “Lame AF” documents the unfaithful fallout; and “Come Thru” rebounds with a post-mortem party number. The tracklist flow is smooth, especially in the last half. It ensures this tasty snack of a listen goes down easy.
HERE4EVER rewards returning appetites too. Little blink-and-miss moments are peppered throughout, from the titillating whisper work in “Dress Up” to the subtle reverb boosts during select parts of “Come Thru.” It is this attention to detail that saves the EP’s song topics and production conventions from drowning in genre tropes. The reference points that Hardiman brings to the project are naturally inspired by her artistic reinvention, so where sonically-similar pop radio hits can feel commercially hollow, everything here comes across as personally resonant. The organic process behind the album shines through.
By setting aside the guitar and following her heart to a more soulful form of expression, Hardiman surmounts the folk/Americana fences of what a songstress in Oklahoma music is traditionally expected to be. As LRYN, she is free to realize her true potential, and with HERE4EVER setting the new baseline for all Lauryn Hardiman projects going forward, that potential is as hot as the EP’s smoldering sunset-bronze cover art implies.
