Laura Frank ProfileIt’s been a long time coming for fans of Laura Frank, but the Australian singer-songwriter has, at last, unveiled her highly anticipated debut album, Life in the Front Seat.
Released earlier this month, the powerful collection showcases an artist with intimate storytelling skills. It’s immediately affecting, with Frank navigating human subjects such as love, loss, and finding her place in an ever-changing world as an artist.
The vulnerable album includes singles such as How Do We, Get What We Deserve, Broken Hearted Cowboy, We Won’t Stop Runnin’, What Do We Tell the Kids, and more.
Frank co-wrote and created Life in the Front Seat with Nick Morrissey, recorded it at Brooklet Recording in New South Wales, and Jordan Power produced it. Plus, Frank enlisted collaborators such as Grant Gerathy (John Butler Trio) and Mike Mills.
On working with Nick Morrissey, Frank said, “Nick and I are inherently old school. We miss the days of putting a record on and being taken somewhere — of an album as a journey, not just a playlist.
“In a world of singles and short attention spans, making a full-length record felt like a risk. But it was a risk we needed to take, artistically and creatively. These songs deserve to live together.”
She continued, “I make music because I want it to become a soundtrack to someone’s life. You know how you never forget the smell of your grandmother’s house, or the song that was playing the first time you fell in love?
“I hope there’s something on this record that becomes that for someone. And more than anything, I hope it makes people feel less alone in whatever it is they’re facing. That’s the whole point, really.”
On Life in the Front Seat, Frank invites listeners into her life and shares stories they might relate to, find comfort in, and smile at. She explained, “The process was exactly what I love most about making music. Everyone in the room together, live tracking, throwing ideas around, seeing what sticks.
“Some of what you hear on this album is a full band live take — just us, sitting in a room, playing and figuring it out in real time. That energy is irreplaceable.
“Thematically it’s a melting pot — empowerment and vulnerability, trust and uncertainty, love and loss and the environment and everything in between. There are punchy, upbeat rock songs and beautiful, heartfelt ballads. Something for everyone, no matter what you might be going through.”
Frank launched the album at Blume Restaurant in Boonah, QLD, and at this year’s Groundwater Country Music Festival.
Throughout her career, Frank has opened shows for Daryl Braithwaite, Brad Cox, Melanie Dyer, and more, won the People’s Choice Award for ‘Most Promising Future Star’ at the 2023 Tamworth Country Music Festival, and performed at festivals including Tamworth, Groundwater, and the Gympie Music Muster.
Life in the Front Seat is out now.
