Laura Groves “D 4 N” is the sound of surging

Laura Groves has long been one of the most under-rated songwriters in the U.K. Back in 2009, working under the name Blue Roses, she released a fantastic self-titled debut album through XL Recordings. Blue Roses was packed full of ostentatious melodies and windswept arrangements, lending her falsetto vocals a real sense of urgency as she wrote about love and the future with a sense of awe and passion.

Groves went on to form Nautic, a short-lived project alongside the producer Bullion, as well as releasing a handful of EPs that captured her evolving songwriting. A bigger change, however, came in 2020 when she started releasing music under her own name. Groves will release her first album, Radio Red, on August 11 and is today sharing "D 4 N" from the record. The song, which features backing vocals from Sampha, acts as a reminder that staying stationary can a vulnerable spot to be in. Moving forwards, Groves posits over an imposing bed of synths and illuminating keys, is where things start to get interesting. "There's not far to fall when you're taking off" she sings in her still distinctive voice.

Scroll down to see the self-directed video for "D 4 N" and to read a Q+A with Groves about the song, Radio Red, and her love for broadcasting.

The FADER: What does "D4N" mean to you? What were you trying to capture with this song?

Laura Groves: "D 4 N" is about forward motion and travel - I was thinking about movement and escapism; times when I've constantly pushed myself but perhaps used that as a distraction from facing the present moment, tipping over into disorientation and destabilisation. When I listen back on it now it's come to represent a positive message - pushing through barriers, easing the pressure of trying to maintain an impossible expectation of myself and finding pleasure in realising dreams and living life.

I was watching a lot of '70s TV shows when I wrote the song - the day for night technique, where night time scenes were filmed in daylight and then manipulated and filtered to create the impression of night time, often for practical or budgetary reasons, appears a lot. It always struck me as this strange, dreamlike, in-between space that resonated with the themes of illusion and time travel.

The song features a guest appearance by Sampha. What are your memories of when you first met and those early days of making music in general?

Sampha and I first met years ago when we first started releasing music. I respect Sampha so much and he's inspired me a lot over the years - having him on this track is such a meaningful moment because the record is really a celebration of those threads that run through everything and the opening up of what can sometimes be a very isolated process. We recorded the vocals at my home studio - I've essentially worked in various iterations of the home/bedroom studio since the start, and having Sampha come into that world and having our voices side by side is extremely special. I'm really grateful.

This is the first album you have released under your own name. Why was now the time to move away from Blue Roses?

It just felt right. Blue Roses belongs to a particular chapter of life that I've come to treasure and value, but I feel much more aligned with myself and able to occupy that space now.

Your new album has themes of communication, specifically ones related to missed and intercepted signals, chance meetings, synchronicities, and outside interference. What was it about those areas that you found so inspiring?

I've often felt like I couldn't find the right words to express myself and my experiences and struggled with noise and self-esteem. I think a lot of pain can come from feeling misunderstood, especially in a world where we can seemingly connect and communicate so easily through so many channels. I'm interested in the characteristics of different technologies we use to talk to each other. Making the album and being able to express myself in that way has really helped me and so many beautiful connections and relationships have come from this process. It's a way of reflecting and figuring out what's important to me and also being able to share something of the way I see and feel the world - I hope will help others feel some of that togetherness.

In what way has your NTS show inspired the new music you're making?

Putting the show together has always been quite intuitive and that's something I want to explore more in music making. Also the exploration of certain sound worlds - why am I so drawn to a particular drum sound, a particular type of modulated synth, what was going on in the studio and the world when those songs were made? It's also just a pleasurable thing to share musical passions with other people, like making cassette mix tapes to give to loved ones.

There's a school of thought that radio is less necessary in the age of streaming and algorithms. Personally, I find it more vital if anything. Why do you think radio is still needed?

I think the idea of radio opens up the sense that there's something bigger - there's so much more around us than what we can see and tangibly hold physically. It can cross borders and help people feel less alone. There is a certain magic to that.