Feeling detached from her previously released work as years lapsed, Duluth, Minnesota’s Sarah Krueger set out to Hive, a small studio nestled near the river in her hometown of Eau Claire, WI. In the course of two separate sessions, (the first on the cusp of a long winter, and the second on the fringe of summer’s swell), Krueger assembled a cast of collaborators to help flesh out a collection of songs that would later become the catalyst for Lanue. Culled from the title of a poem that found its way to Krueger from a thrift store shelf, Lanue comes to us as a project that stands firmly in front of a fresh creative backdrop and boasts a more developed taste and sincerity than Krueger’s previous releases — both a welcome departure and anticipated return.

On Lanue’s self-titled LP (2021), Krueger continues to amplify her knack for straightforward and earnest songwriting while maintaining a vocal delivery that sits like honey over layers of warm synths, guitars, and percussion. Ranging from confessional to nostalgic, each track is brightened by a lush lift while continuing to rest inside the framework of the folk tradition. Krueger enlisted collaborators Steve Garrington (Low) and Sean Carey (S. Carey, Bon Iver) to assist with production and instrumentation while relying on JT Bates (Pieta Brown, Taylor Swift) on drums, and Ben Lester (Field Report, Sufjan Stevens) on pedal steel guitar. String arrangements by Ryan Young (Trampled by Turtles) and guitar work by Erik Koskinen round out the record so that it arrives at a place of stark honesty and inviting warmth.

On the heels of Lanue’s debut release, Krueger was approached by Low’s Alan Sparhawk with a desire to explore a sound that was more stripped back and stark than the lush, twangy 2021 album. The idea for the production of this batch of songs was simple — keep the vocals and melody at the forefront, the arrangements sparse and bold, and leave the guitars at home. Slowly the pair would chip away at the project in Alan’s Duluth hillside home until they arrived at Fire in My Mind — a five-song EP that dabbles in an electric synth sound with honest and earnest vocals and a tendency to lean into subtle tension and buoyant obscurity. With themes ranging from the shape of time to the hope we must carry in the face of a crumbling world — Lanue puts another foot forward toward building a catalogue that puts the song at the center of the creative process.

Past Shows


Jan
31
st
2024
Turf Club
Jan
31
st
2024
Turf Club

Lanue and Ryan Necci and The Buffalo Gospel

★ Local Show ★
with Molly Brandt
Jul
24
th
2023
Turf Club
Jul
24
th
2023
Turf Club
Mar
4
th
2022
First Avenue
Mar
4
th
2022
First Avenue

First Avenue's
Best New Bands of 2021

with DURRY, EVV, HONEYBUTTER, KOKOU KAH, LANUE, PAPA MBYE, and VIAL

Hosted by Diane Miller (The Current), Annabelle (Radio K), and Graves (93X)
Dec
16
th
2021
Turf Club
Dec
16
th
2021
Turf Club

All Tomorrow's Petty

December Residency
with Lanue
Sep
3
rd
2021
Schell’s Stage at Schilling Amphitheater
Sep
3
rd
2021
Schell’s Stage at Schilling Amphitheater

More Shows

May
31
st
Turf Club

The Wedding Present

with The Tubs
Jan
24
th
7th St Entry

Christian Lee Hutson

with Allegra Krieger
Feb
2
nd
Fine Line

MICHELLE

with Ayoni
Mar
14
th
Amsterdam Bar & Hall

Jessica Baio