Singer-songwriter Liz Lawrence has released her fifth album, Vespers, a stripped-back folk record that serves as an unvarnished tribute to her elder sister Jessie, who died suddenly in 2024 following an accident while on holiday in Ireland. The album marks a departure from Lawrence's previous muscular indie pop, favouring elegiac melodies and delicate string arrangements.
Lawrence, 35, says she initially struggled to engage with music after her sister's death. When she sought out grief albums for comfort, she found that the most celebrated records about loss were angry, loud and made by men. 'I was just looking for open and frank sadness,' she explains, which led her to create Vespers as a space for quiet contemplation and sorrow.
The album was written during a three-week burst of creativity six months after Jessie's accident. Songs like 'Exploded Into Flowers' recall the uncanny pageantry of a funeral, while 'Sister' conjures relatable memories. Lawrence says she had no intentions for the album beyond wanting to create a cultural space for 'the shittier things' that are not easy to commercialise.
Lawrence was at a festival when she learned Jessie was in intensive care. She describes entering 'power-saving mode' and being intensely present during the hours at the hospital. The suddenness of the loss means she still reflexively texts her sister, a liminal state explored on the track 'Where Did You Go'.
Throughout the ordeal, Lawrence kept notes on her phone, documenting details she found 'unbelievably tragic'. These fragments helped shape Vespers, which she hopes will offer solace to others navigating grief.
