Lauren Presley’s debut EP ‘Hanging In The Balance’ doesn’t just wear its heart on its sleeve- it lets it bleed all over the studio floor. In five carefully carved tracks, the Nashville-based artist opens the door to the anxious, unspoken corners of young adulthood with stark clarity and striking musicality. The result is a collection of songs that feel like reading a journal someone was scared to write- but did anyway.
The opening title track immediately establishes the mood, brooding, atmospheric, and heavy with unspoken tension. It’s a fitting introduction to a body of work that hinges on contradiction- the comfort of vulnerability pressed against the sting of uncertainty. ‘People Leave’, already catching ears nationwide, is the standout centrepiece. It feels deceptively simple, but the emotional resonance is undeniable. Presley’s voice, aching and clear, captures that specific kind of loneliness that’s less about being alone and more about not being understood.
‘Can I Be Happy’ is where things crack wide open. There’s an honesty here that feels less like performance and more like confession. Layered production from Mike Hart surrounds Lauren’s vocals like fog rolling in, soft but impossible to ignore. Then comes ‘Paralyzed’, where the instrumentals stretch and contract like lungs fighting for air. The addition of Anthony Rankin’s guitar work gives the track a desperate edge, sonically mimicking the emotional stalemate it describes.
But it’s ‘Ghost’ that leaves the deepest mark. It doesn’t just close the EP- it haunts it. This is where Lauren Presley stops searching for answers and simply feels. A sonic exhale of mental fatigue, cyclical thought, and quiet rage, it’s a track that will hit hardest when you’re driving alone with the headlights off and nowhere to be.
What makes ‘Hanging In The Balance’ so compelling is how bravely it stares down the fog. Presley’s lyrics don’t flinch, even when the questions feel unanswerable. The production- split between Nashville polish and Tulsa shadows- never overwhelms her voice, which remains the emotional nucleus of every track.
Presley isn’t chasing trends here. She’s carving out a space for raw introspection in a genre often addicted to gloss. And in doing so, she’s created something that feels deeply needed.