Laura-Mary Carter releases debut solo album 'BYE BYE JACKIE'

Last Friday Laura-Mary Carter's solo album 'Bye Bye Jackie' has been released via V2 Records. To celebrate this album, she will embark on an European tour, and as the icing on the cake, she will be the opening act for Queens of the Stone Age throughout their entire European tour.

Laura-Mary Carter grew up in a suburb of London, with Irish parents. Growing up, she was surrounded by different cultures and identities. Although she felt deeply loved, she never quite felt like she fully belonged. She played her first live show at the age of 14 in a local community center.

For the past two decades, the born performer has spent her life on tour as one-half of the cult rock duo Blood Red Shoes, with a guitar in hand, breaking boundaries in a world where women wielding electric guitars were still a rare sight.

With 'Bye Bye Jackie', Carter moves away from that rock sound. This album is more intimate and reflective. The songs were born on a Spanish nylon-string guitar and developed over two weeks in Hackney, London, where Laura-Mary Carter collaborated with Oscar Robertson (Sholto) and David Bardon (Sunglasses for Jaws) on production, drawn to their adventurous and experimental approach to making music. She also teamed up with IDLES guitarist Lee Kiernan on the previously released single 'June Gloom'. This track showcases her evolving sound: lounge-like, melancholic, and carried by a George Harrison-like atmosphere. Originally written as an acoustic song, it grew into a nostalgic dream filled with emotional layers. "The writing came to me organically, mostly at night, in moments of emotional confusion."

The title track, 'Bye Bye Jackie' is her most personal song: "It's about letting go of stress and old patterns." And 'Four Letter Words'? That's her live favourite: "It's got energy, it's catchy, and it creates an instant connection with people."

On a technical level, she chose warmth over perfection: vintage equipment, tape recordings, live takes with Mellotron, Farfisa, and Omnichord. No digital polish, just the rustle and magic of a real moment.

The album draws inspiration from many sources: the hazy melancholy of The Velvet Underground, the dreamy sincerity of The Ronettes, and the lo-fi emotional punch of Beck at his most understated. The result is music that feels timeless.

'Bye Bye Jackie' reflects on the beauty, vulnerability, and mistakes of love, while also exploring the challenge of trying to love in a world that often feels too fast, unyielding, and distracting, especially for someone who has always felt a bit different.

It's the sound of someone letting go of relationships, expectations, and versions of herself that no longer fit. At the same time, it's a love letter, a farewell note, and a quiet manifesto for anyone whose life has strayed from the conventional path.

Laura-Mary Carter hopes this album will inspire others to write their own stories. To, like her, let go of the old and make space for a new capter, one filled with imagination, imperfection, and true connection.

The album balances between the minimalist and the cinematic, between the past and a fresh beginning.

"It's not just an album. It's a goodbye, album leap, and an invitation."