Written in the first half of 2023, “Laura” wasn't finished until 2024, when Helgerson was back on track after a sarcoma diagnosis led to chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. But of course, That time away, and the life-altering experience around it, clearly reworked the song’s emotional core. Instead of shoehorning the track back into whatever it used to be, Helgerson let it become what it needed to be by taking a fresh approach and bringing calm clarity.
The result is a release defined by softness of thought. There’s a soft longing that “Laura” conveys, one that eases in and hangs around. There is heartache here, too, but it’s never heavy-handed, rather, it stays in the negative spaces between moments, balancing a sense of euphoria with that ache of watching something stunning sail just beyond your grasp. The emotional heft feels earned, forged by time, reflection, and resilience. “Laura” doesn’t seem eager to explain itself. It’s a song that offers little solace but instead invites the listener to accompany it, meaning to feel comforted by its ache of endings and the thin hope of trying to hold on. By letting the song breathe, Alexandra Helgerson conjures an experience that is downright engulfing, and, more importantly, calm in its openness, long after the last note has dissipated.
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