montréal romantic
[Consulter la version française ici]
Lou Laurence is a Montreal-based singer, songwriter, and comedian who is releasing her début studio album Montréal Romantic on October 17. This sexy, playful vocal-jazz album was recorded in three days of live-from-the-floor studio sessions with double bass, drums, keys, and woodwinds. Lou’s music blends jazzy instrumentation with folk-rock inspired lyrics and vocals to envelop listeners in Lou’s deep, rich voice which slides from warm and sultry to raw and passionate. Spontaneity, experimentation, story, human touch, and humour are at the heart of this project.
Lou Laurence is best known for as lead singer and co-songwriter on DJ Champion’s 2016 album, Best Seller. Since 2023, Lou Laurence has been touring a solo music-comedy show, Love, Sharks & Frenching, across Canada and to Europe.
“I wanted to bring some of that exciting spontaneous energy into the studio sessions, so we recorded live takes with the band. All of us playing off of each other and discovering new little moments in the songs. I want listeners to feel like they’re in the living room with us - or like they’re hearing us through the paper-thin walls of so many Montreal apartments.”
CREDITS
All Songs Written, Composed & Arranged by: Lauren Katherine Clinton (a.k.a. Lou Laurence)
Producer: Lou Laurence
Musicians: (see band details below) Valéry St-Gelais, Kat Pereira, Elyze Venne-Deshaies, Noam Arturo Guerrier-Freud
Studio & Mixing Engineer: Thomas Floquet
Mastering: Jon Kaspy
Recorded at Studio Madame Wood March 2025
Cover Image: Velvet Pistol (shot on film)
Studio Photos & Video: Karine Laurence
Label: Currently unsigned. Independent release & publishing
Distribution: Landr
Published by: Lauren Katherine Clinton
© Lauren Katherine Clinton 2025
Album photos of Lou Laurence by Velvet Pistol
“These songs are written from late night conversations wandering home through the ruelles vertes, from park picnics, from heartbroken busking in the metro, from wild hydro bills, and lonely winter nights, from listening to a neighour snore through the walls. Montréal Romantic is the condition of most transplants to the city - and I am absolutely no exception.”
UN PREMIER ALBUM STUDIO POUR LOU LAURENCE
Photo by Velvet Pistol Parc Jarry, Montreal
The lead single from the album, “Montréal on a Dating App,” blends English & French together in a playful jazz swing about the challenges of trying to find love online in the Bonjour-Hi city.
“So much of the reality of living in Montreal is how creative we get when we’re trying to connect. I wanted to bring that local language and rhythm into a song.”
Listen Now
Montréal on a Dating App video from studio session. Filmed by Karine Laurence at Studio Madame Wood. The songs of this album were recorded in live takes with the whole band playing together in order to capture the energy and spontaneity of live performance.
The band
Photo by Karine Laurence
Valéry St-Gelais
Double Bass
Back vocals on “Bested by Biology”
Photo by Karine Laurence
Kat Pereira
Keys (Piano & Rhodes)
Back vocals on “Bested by Biology”
Photo by Karine Laurence
Elyze Venne-Deshaies
Bass clarinet, Clarinet, Alto saxophone
Back vocals on “Bested by Biology”
Photo by Karine Laurence
Noam Arturo Guerrier-Freud
Drums
Back vocals on “Bested by Biology”
Photo by Karine Laurence
Thomas Floquet
Studio & Mixing Engineer
Photo by Thomas Floquet
Recorded at Studio Madame Wood in March of 2025.
Lou Laurence
Lead Vocals
Songwriter
Composer
Producer
Ukulele on “Shooting & Bright”
Photo by Velvet Pistol. Parc Jarry.
Photo by Joseph Ste-Marie