Lawrence Hart prepares for what could be his biggest year to date as an artist, as he drops his debut studio album ‘Come In Out Of The Rain’ this coming April.
Last week saw the release of ‘Closer To You’, a single which precedes, and will also be included on, the full length record.
We spoke to the South Londoner to ask him about the forthcoming release, what else he’s hopeful about in 2025, and more.
How was 2024 for Lawrence Hart as an artist?
I definitely grew a lot as an artist. The first half of the year was a mix of live shows, testing out tracks for my debut album, and then finishing off the production and mixing on the album. The second half was spent DJing which had a big impact on my writing. It’s left me with a body of work that’s a lot more club focused.
You’re about to kick 2025 off strong with the release of your new single ‘Closer To You’ – how would you describe the track in your own words?
It was one of the first tracks I wrote for the record and it set the tone nicely. It’s a fragile song with evocative vocals juxtaposed with a harder garage beat. The song starts off innocently and grows with confidence as it develops. There’s quite a lot of yearning in the lyrics and I wanted the music to reflect that.
And it precedes the release of your forthcoming album ‘Come In Out Of The Rain’ – which will be out in April on Double Six – how did you find the whole process of creating the record?
I really enjoyed being able to live in a specific sonic landscape across a larger body of work than normal. It was a culmination of different sounds and ideas I’ve been playing with for the last few years; it felt satisfying to bring it all together and document it in a cohesive way. I spent a lot of time going through the least popular records on Discogs to find unique samples for the record. It was a laborious process that I’m very glad I did but don’t think I’ll repeat.
Which albums from other artists did you find inspiration from while producing it?
Burial’s ‘Untrue’. This record had a big impact on me when it came out and was one of my earliest exposures to electronic music. I hadn’t listened to it for years and came back to it whilst on tour with Model Man. We really connected over the fact that for us, Burial’s foundational.
Keith Jarrett’s ‘Vienna Concert’ was another I had on repeat during the process. Another foundational record for me. It especially influenced the softer moments on the album.
In addition to those records, I was listening to a lot of Leon Vynehall. Everything from the earlier house tracks like ‘Butterflies’, to the more recent forward-thinking cuts.
Besides the album release, which goals have you set for yourself for 2025?
I’ve been pushing myself with my live set. It’s got a lot harder and clubbier whilst incorporating trumpet and a modular set up to create live improvised loops. I want to take it around as much as possible in between DJing and writing in the studio. I’ll be finishing off a run of harder tracks for the summer and I’m also sitting on some great music from other producers that I want to get out on my label, SSEM Records.
And something you’re hopeful for this year on a personal level?
I’d like to be able to spend a bit more time travelling outside of work. I find that a lot of the time I’m just in and out for shows without getting to fully experience the places I visit.
Anything else you want to mention before we finish up?
I just want to say a massive thanks to anyone who’s been listening and supporting the music so far. I’m really looking forward to getting into rooms with you to play these new songs out live this year.
Lawrence Hart – Closer To You is out now on Domino.