The Scottish singer announced in July that she would be releasing some solo music and heading out on tour, however, there was no indication of when we could expect to hear any new music.

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The pop band’s lead singer didn’t keep fans waiting for long, as on August 11th , she revealed that her first single “Are You Awake?” would be with us in September.

Over the weekend, Mayberry dropped the highly anticipated single, as well as a music video for the song.

“Are You Awake?” was written by Mayberry and Canadian singer-songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr, who has collaborated on songwriting with other UK artists such as Adele and Niall Horan.

The piano-led ballad is a slight leap from the energetic synth-pop we have come to expect from CHVRCHES, and in a recent press release, Lauren shared that “I was thinking a lot about loneliness and homesickness, and as soon as Tobias started playing the chords, the lyrics and melody came to me really quickly. I finished the song with my friend Matthew Koma, who really understood what I was trying to say.”

“For a long time, I couldn’t imagine doing anything outside of CHVRCHES but I think some things that I needed to write had to be done from purely my own point of view. I never really thought I’d write a piano ballad, or a solo album full stop, so life really is full of surprises. I am really looking forward to this chapter and can’t wait for people to hear more of the music.”

Though Lauren is venturing out on her own, her career with CHVRCHES is far from over. The trio announced last month that in celebration of the 10 year anniversary of their debut album, The Bones Of What You Believe, they would be releasing a re-issue of their 2013 LP on October 13th. The re-issue of the album will include 4 previously unheard tracks, as well as 5 live recordings. The band has given fans a taste of what’s to come by releasing “Manhattan”, one of the unheard songs that didn’t make it onto the album’s original release.

You can listen to “Manhattan” below.

For tickets to Lauren Mayberry’s upcoming tour, click here.

Tour dates:

05/10/2023 – SWG3 TV Studio – Glasgow, UK

06/10 – O2 Academy – Birmingham, UK

08/10 – Academy 2 – Manchester, UK

09/10 – Koko – London, UK

11/10 – Melkweg Oz – Amsterdam, Netherlands

12/10 – Lido – Berlin, Germany

13/10 – Strom – Munich, Germany

15/10 – La Maroquinerie – Paris, France

16/10 – Luxor – Cologne, Germany

17/10 – Rock Cafe – Prague, Czech Republic

19/10 – Flex – Vienna, Austria

21/10 – Bogen F – Zurich, Switzerland

22/10 – Magnolia – Milan, Italy

24/10 – La Nau – Barcelona, Spain

25/10 – Sala Copernico – Madrid, Spain

The singer previously released music as Alec Owen using his mother’s surname Owen and released a statement informing his followers of his album release and name guises. Upon releasing his new single the singer said “It’s scary to try and establish one’s identity”

The singer’s father Thom Yorke has been with his band Radiohead since 1991 amid solo projects. Johnny Greenwood (Lead guitarist and keyboardist, Colin Greenwood (Bass) and Ed O’Brien (guitar and backing vocals) also make up the band lineup. The band are known for their memorable debut single “Creep” (1992).

The singer’s new single has been described as sounding similar to Radiohead’s musical sound. Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood who is also the singer’s Godfather praised him for his new single and said the following in a Tweet.

https://t.co/cyy8PueyM7 Cor, what a glorious piece of music – today was the first time I heard it, and I’m so impressed. Nice work, Noah. #prouddisreputablegodfathertweets

— Jonny Greenwood (@JnnyG) September 24, 2021

 

Lead vocalist Hayley Moore from American Rock band Paramore also praised the singer’s single and said “This song is so good simply because it rules and you have a gift. Psyched for more” The singer’s single “Trying Too Hard (Lullaby)” has been described as having a ghostly arrangement and has been compared to Radiohead’s 1995 In Bends album and their 2007 album In Rainbows.

A further description of the single read “Between the falsetto and the In Rainbows esque guitar, it sounds a whole lot like Radiohead” Noah Yorke has not issued details of an album to accompany his new single, or details of an upcoming UK Tour at the time of his new single release. Listen to Noah Yorke’s new solo single “Trying Too Hard (Lullaby)” here