Laura Veirs’ latest release, the stripped-down July Flame, uses atmosphere and tension as the connective tissue for its songs. Veirs, who’s been setting her observations to song since 1999, says she was in a writing slump going into this record, so she challenged herself with odd tunings on her nylon-string guitar. She dug deep inside for inspiration, did away with her full band for most of the album and wrote many of these tracks in her barn in Portland, Oregon.

The natural world is often the star of Pacific Northwest singer-songwriter (and one-time geology major) Laura Veirs’ music-birds and eels and oceans and cliffs and caves and constellations tumble together in surreal lyrics that actually speak to love, loss, and life’s mysteries if you stop to consider them. Veirs’ imagery is as captivating as her husky, cloudy voice and her sophisticated arrangements, which sometimes get alt-folky with acoustic guitar, banjo, piano and violin, and other times go pop in a ’70s Laurel Canyon kinda way while making room for jazz-tinged grooves and dabs of electronics. —The Philadelphia Weekly

“There was a girl, a very strange enchanted girl, who wandered very far from her punk-band past to become an acoustic singer-songwriter whose songs were suffused with the natural world.” [Four Stars] —Sylvie Simmons, MOJO

The Band: Laura Veirs The Buzz: Magnificent Portland songwriter delves into the mystic, crafting spare, entrancing pop songs as informed by folk music as they are indie rock. Her upcoming July Flame takes its title from a type of peach, and its content is just as sweet and irresistible. Key Track: “July Flame,” where Veirs hypnotic, mysterious voice wends its way around stiff guitar, purring an endless string of curious riddles until the whole song crests in a crescendo of swirling violins and ghostly choirs. — J. Edward Keyes, Rolling Stone.

For folk singer Laura Veirs, inspiration for her newest album came from a simple box of peaches sitting on a table at a farmers’ market. The words “July Flame” written on a cardboard sign caught her eye, struck a chord and inspired her to write what she believes is her strongest album yet. “You’ll notice, actually, if you look at varieties of peaches and apples and fruits, that they’re really cool creative names,” Veirs said. She went on to write a song and album titled after those July Flame peaches. Veirs hopes that the stripped-down, summery album that will drop Jan. 12 will bring some sunshine to the cold winter months. —The Pitt News

“Several songs are about trying to live in the moment and embrace life as it is now,” she says, “to treasure beauty when you encounter it because it is fleeting. “I was exploring concepts of summer and night, love and war, and fire as both a healing and destructive force,” Veirs says. “I think we’re always struggling for things to be clear and known in our lives and relationships, but we have less control than we think.” —The Oregonian

LAURA VEIRS “July Flame” CD is sale priced at $11.99 and also available on 180gram LP (includes download and color poster)