‘HAHAHHAHA’ doesn’t sound nearly as maniacal as I thought it would. The measured and magical piece of alternative pop from 19 year old Tarzana based Lauren Juzang is a wistful recollection of memories, a trip down memory lane, and a coming of age story all wrapped into one short five track album that’s loaded with catchy hooks and lyrics that live long in your memory. Juzang’s voice, loaded with character and style, glides off the predominantly acoustic beats that echo memories and nostalgia in seemingly endless doses. There’s drama, there’s yearning, and there’s a lot of fun all wrapped inside.
A song that’s as innately nostalgic as ‘High School Dreamers’ is bound to have you recollecting that sense of undying belief in what you could become while you were in school. That almost immortal feeling, the aspiration, it all comes rushing through from Juzang. On ‘Tangy’, Juzang starts to explore material that’s a bit more intriguing and perhaps even ridiculous. this song was written from the perspective of Juzang’s brother’s ex-girlfriend as she lists her dramatized demands in the relationship that didn’t end up working out. “It is delusional and ridiculous and a character completely different from myself, and it’s so much fun to play,” says Juzang. There’s something sinister, almost outlandish about the production and Juzang’s own over dramatized vocals that gives this track its feeling.
With the album being borne from a childhood bedroom in the place Lauren grew up in, it’s no surprise that there’s such a pointed sense of growing up that comes shining out throughout this record. I wouldn’t be shocked to find any number of these tracks being used as the soundtrack or force behind a new coming of age film. It’s loaded with emotional depth, but with an innocence and belief that comes with youthfulness. A landmark piece of indie folk pop.