Lauran Hibberd - Girlfriend Material

A lot has changed for Lauran Hibberd since 2022 debut ‘Garageband Superstar’ – she lost her father and split from a long-distance relationship. The musical result is ‘Girlfriend Material’, a record that’s unsurprisingly a little more mature than the first one, but nevertheless manages to retain her trademark sense of fun. Early single ‘Mary’ and ‘90s Kid’ are both standouts, the latter combining Lauran’s resolutely British “no no no” with a resolutely American grunge sound. ‘I Suck At Grieving’ is a poignant, heartrending look at losing a parent, Lauran’s voice full of emotion. It’s followed by ‘Jealous’, a stripped-back pop-rock number on which she channels her inner Avril Lavigne. Elsewhere she combines pop hooks, fuzzy punk guitars, and honest, relatable words: from slower tracks like ‘Anti Fragile’ to energetic numbers like ‘Better Than I Was Before.’ A well-rounded collection of songs, ‘Girlfriend Material’ shows Lauren as an artist coming into her own, and her enjoyment shines through in her music.