For years, Lauren Ash has been entertaining us with her quick, dominating presence as Dina on NBC’s Superstore and Lexi on ABC. She is finally stepping into the limelight in an altogether new way, this time with a microphone in hand. Her debut album, "Call Me When You Get This," is a bold introduction that blends the grit of pop-rock with raw pathos, applying it like a flamethrower to one blindsiding breakup, fully realizing its cathartic potential as an all-out riot of sound.
Clocking in at 23 minutes and 12 seconds spread over 12 slaphappy, emotionally fraught tracks, the album does not waste any time leaving an impression. It’s punchy, unapologetic, and loaded with the raw storytelling that only heartbreak can prompt. Ash’s voice pierces through like a storm, breathtaking, biting, and tender in equal measure, transforming her pain into strength and her scars into song.
Songs like “Blow It Up” land in your chest like a match to gasoline, crackling with incendiary energy that seems custom-fit for stadium speakers. “Cool Story Bro” gets a nasty, sarcastic jab at toxic aftereffects as one of the album’s catchiest jabs. And in “Walk Away,” the tempo slows just enough for Ash’s vocals to shine, drawing its listeners directly into the raw ache at the album’s center.
The strength of "Call Me When You Get This," though, is that it does not play small. Ash never deploys a metaphor to hide behind her emotions, but she lets them rip with full force. The result is a concept record that grinds it into the dust, carving space for self-reclamation, empowerment, and some roll-around-in-the-mud rock ‘n’ roll payback.
With her debut, however, Lauren Ash is proving she’s an artist poised to carve out her niche in music. "Call Me When You Get This" is a battle cry and diary, and it feels like the opening to what comes across as an exciting new chapter for an already multi-hyphenate force.
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