Lauren Wanamaker is a folk singer/songwriter originally from Washington State, now based in Nashville, Tennessee. Citing Sufjan Stevens, Adrianne Lenker, and Neko Case as some of her most steadfast inspirations, she seeks to transport listeners through surreal expressions of everyday experiences. A debut EP was released in 2011 under a former name, followed by several live appearances in the Pacific Northwest, then an extended hiatus from writing and live performance.
Her EP Rest & Reprieve (2023) is a vocally dominant record with nods to broader roots and alt-country genres. Wanamaker’s latest project, Glitter, was released on March 14, 2025, and seeks to examine loss, family, identity, and faith through a more honed blend of folk Americana.
From her recently released EP, “With Me,” is a gentle ballad crafted with care and warmth—the highlight from Wanamaker’s recently released EP. The stand-out track of her latest shows the artist’s detailed approach to Americana traditions, with jazzy, pop influences blending with her rootsy tendencies. The simplistic yet potent ballad features Wanamaker’s soaring vocals and how they can make her emotional writing even more palpable by employing a sense of longing that echoes throughout “With Me.” For how heavy her vocals sound against the dreary arrangement, Wanamaker’s writing makes the rest of the song feel like a sunny day. The vague yet heartfelt writing details the pain of becoming strangers with someone you once loved and the yearning to grab that person and escape into what it once was. The artist turns these harsh realizations into a stunning piece of downtrodden folk in “With Me.” This single only scratches the surface of what Wanamaker achieved on Glitter. The artist introduces herself as a forward-thinking addition to the burgeoning folk scene, unafraid of brutal honesty and a neutral knack for making heartbreak sound infectious.
“’With Me’ was written during a time of grief. I had lost a dear friend and mentor, and we were still very much in the throes of the pandemic, with seemingly no end in sight. There’s a very boat-rocking, comforting structure to this song that balances out the sadness in the lyrics,” explains Wanamaker. “I think it’s a fair representation of the tension I felt between feeling pain and seeking familiarity/safety. You’re kind of going back and forth between the two.”
