Little Scream
Intricate, painterly indie folk that feels like a shared secret. Hazy melodies and chamber-pop arrangements for quiet afternoons and deep reflection.
Intricate, painterly indie folk that feels like a shared secret. Hazy melodies and chamber-pop arrangements for quiet afternoons and deep reflection.
Little Scream creates music that feels like a series of oil paintings come to life. There is a tactile, textured quality to the sound, where acoustic guitars and pianos are often enveloped in a soft, shimmering haze of reverb and subtle electronic flourishes. It is deeply rooted in the Montreal indie scene, carrying that specific blend of earnest folk songwriting and ambitious, art-rock experimentation.
What sets Laurel Sprengelmeyer apart is her ability to balance intimacy with scale. Her voice is often a breathy, delicate thread, yet the arrangements around her can swell into lush, orchestral moments that feel grand without ever becoming bombastic. It is music for the internal world, capturing the specific melancholy of transition and the quiet beauty of the natural world.
Start with 'The Golden Record' to hear her at her most foundational and folk-focused. If you prefer something with more rhythmic drive and synth-pop influence, 'Cult Following' showcases her evolution into a more expansive, high-fidelity sound while maintaining her signature poetic depth.
Little Scream is the stage name of American-born, Montreal-based singer, songwriter, multi-instrumental musician and artist Laurel Sprengelmeyer. Her debut album The Golden Record was released on Outside Music in Canada and Secretly Canadian elsewhere on March 15, 2011. Her musical style has been described as a blend of folk, pop and art rock. Laurel Sprengelmeyer was born in Iowa, where she studied piano and violin as a child. After moving to Montreal, she connected with well-known Canadian musicians, including some from Arcade Fire, Thee Silver Mt. Zion and The National, who would later collaborate on her debut album. Little Scream is also a visual artist, using her own oil painting on the cover of The Golden Record. The Golden Record was co-produced by Arcade Fire's Richard Parry and received a 2011 Polaris Music Prize longlist nomination. Little Scream appeared in the 2011 lineup of the MusicNOW Festival. Prior to her solo recording as Little Scream, Laurel Sprengelmeyer contributed vocals to The National's album High Violet. In January 2016, Little Scream joined Merge Records and Dine Alone Records (Canada) and announced an LP to be released later in the year. The first single, "Love as a Weapon," premiered on February 10, 2016, and the album Cult Following was released on May 6, 2016. Little Scream is one of the featured artists on the 2016 Red Hot Organization compilation album Day of the Dead produced by Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National, covering Grateful Dead's "Brokedown Palace" alongside Richard Reed Parry of Arcade Fire, Caroline Shaw, and Garth Hudson. She married Parry in 2019.
Shares baroque pop, violin, chamber folk, indie folk (subgenre)
Shares chamber folk, baroque pop, violin, cabin in woods (signature)
Shares chamber folk, cabin in woods, indie folk, breathy (subgenre)
Shares chamber folk, baroque pop, cabin in woods, indie folk (signature)
Shares chamber folk, indie folk, autumn walk, breathy (signature)
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