EXCLUSIVE: Stream Soulfest Singer Bec Laughton's New EP

2 May 2014 | 2:24 pm | Staff Writer

And let the singer break it down, track-by-track

Brisbane singer-songwriter Bec Laughton is set for a big year in 2014, with her upcoming appearance as part of the new Aussie neo-soul event SoulFest no doubt the impending highlight.

But before she mixes it up with some of soul music's finest this October, Laughton has a new EP to release, which she'll do this Monday 5 May. M & R is a slick six-track collection that features some smooth and modern production and of course, Laughton's sultry and beyond-her-years vocals. There's a couple of remixes from Tyler Touche and YesYou on the EP as well.

We've also been lucky enough to have Laughton breakdown the EP track-by-track for us, just to give you a bit of insight into the release. Here's what she had to say about M & R:

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1. M&R

This is the only song I've ever written that is one sentence long! When jamming it with Musik1, we decided to add the verse but originally it was just different variations on the one catchy hook. I wrote it while I was still studying and waitressing, uber excited about the future but wanting it all to happen immediately. I always had this intense passion to go hard with music but as they say “Rome wasn't built in a day”. It's high energy and fun and has a really contagious dance vibe. I remember a friend read the lyrics scribbled on a notepad and thought it was sad diary entry, then laughed when I sang it to her. 

I recorded M&R with Musik1, mostly in his bedroom. That guy is magic with sounds. The rest of the track was laid down in the USA with Chops Horns, who used to tour with Alicia Keys. They're some of America's hottest horn players and have played with absolutely everybody from Mariah Carey to The Rolling Stones. It's such a ridiculous honour to have them on the track. It's a song we've played live as a band in heaps of different ways, always as the big party partae finish. When we first started tracking, we entered a rough draft into the QMA Awards and it won Best Electronic/Dance song! Very excited to finally release this recording. 

2. Number One (Heartbreak)

When I was at uni studying music, a girl sang this heart wrenching song, burst into tears in the middle of it and then ran out of the room. I remember thinking, I want to go through trauma so I can be as moving! Don't ever wish this, just wish to be happy and have nothing to write songs about. When Adele wrote her heartbreak song Someone Like You, it went to number one. She might have been glad she went through it all for the musical glory. But even with big world accolades, at the end of the day we all go home and face ourselves. At the time I wrote this song, I didn't care whether the song went to number one around the world, I just wanted to escape everything I was feeling. But now I don't care about that guy and it sure would be nice if the song went to number one haha. 

Number One (Heartbreak) was the first track I did with Graham Ritchie (Emma Louise, Holy Holy). What a combination. His talent for moody synths and electronic ingenious works wonders for my music. Several ham and egg toasties later we captured a really unique version of Number One.

3. Gonna Love You

So much pop music is about love. Or maybe love is the wrong word. Like Jordin Sparks' No Air, I can't breathe when you're not around, probably more in the obsession/unhealthy attachment box. Gonna Love You kind of makes fun in a really cheeky, dark way at how people get infatuated with each other and think it's love. It's kind of like a stalker love song. I actually wrote it after getting caught up one too many times myself and realising as Bonnie Raitt and Bon Iver know, you can't make people love you. 

The track sneakily features Noah Slee with some silky honey backing vocals. We laid this one down, along with Number One (Heartbreak), at Matt Redlich's magic studio, Grandma's Place. I love the sounds in the bridge … Graham and I refer to the hectic synth sound as 'Dracula chords'. I'm not sure if it reminded me of vampires or my love of Andre 3000's Dracula's Wedding.

4. Darkest Love

Darkest Love was partly inspired by the movie 50/50. And my own stupid romances. I'd been listening to a lot of Birdy at the time and so it came out piano ballad style. I guess it's the realisation that we seek the attention of people who don't really care about us while not caring about those who actually love us. We spend our time chasing lovers while ignoring our family and friends. There are two verses in the full version but we only featured one in the live recording. The other verse is about the realisation that you can't hold time and at the end of the day we all come to a place where we ask what the heck we're doing with our lives. We're all just improvising. 

We recorded it live at the old ABC Studios on Ferry Rd in West End, Brisbane. It was a really beautiful experience, lots of fairy lights in a dark little room. It features Queensland Symphony Orchestra Director and cellist, Matthew Farrell. Darkest Love is really different to the electro vibe of all the other tracks, it's nice to have one that's completely real instruments played live. It was cool to work with my dad on this track too, is a rare joy. He works as production manager at the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and did the live engineering. 

5. M&R - Tyler Touche Remix

It was awesome to work with Tyler on a track! We had both been fans of each other from afar so it was really sweet to collaborate. I love his French house style and everything he creates makes you wanna dance. I love the chords he uses under M&R, it gives it a really happy old school bike ride down a sunshiny street vibe. If that's a thing. It is now. 

6. Gonna Love You - YesYou Remix

The YesYou boys heard Gonna Love You on Soundcloud and wanted to do a remix, which was such an honour! They've taken it down a tribal path that makes you wanna get a little wild. It flips the original timing and places the one in a different place, which I love and is weird for me to listen to since I know the original song so well. The instrumental tribal dance jam at the end is mad. 

Bec Laughton is touring nationally this month, next and July - check out theGuide for details.