The Longing

The Longing is an LA-based group whose upcoming release, “Bleed” transcends over-simplistic genre categorization. Founding member and singer, Laura Bradley, harnesses the power of her trademark angelic sound and unleashes her voice with the spectral force of an emotional whiplash as this powerful 13 track rock album spins out into groove-heavy pockets of distortion, atonal dissonance, high-octane hooks and the haunting piano melodies that are the signature of Bradley’s compositional style.

In addition to Laura, The Longing consists of guitarists Yuri Anisonyan and James Kloeppel, bassist Michael Wallace and drummer, Tom Plumb – all formally trained, seasoned session and touring musicians with numerous high-profile production and engineering credits. When asked about the title track, “Bleed” James replied, “I love the harmony, it’s really catchy and it’s got this weird overshadowing overtones/undertones – it is so NOT standard pop!” While the album is emotionally revealing, cohesion is heard in every note. “I think we’ve worked our way towards creating a dynamic that is perfect,” adds Yuri. “This band has a sound, and everyone just gets better. We’ve really started to trust each other.”
The stunning video for the single, “Bleed” was directed by Carmella Cardina, supervising producer of “The Green Room with Paul Provenza” on Showtime along with Bradley’s sister, Flint. Set in a neglected yet beautiful mansion, it traces the story of a woman lost in the history of the old house and its secrets. The imagery of the past and present collide within the memories of romance, intrigue and blood. Tom adds, “It was a great experience. The location was incredible, the whole process was really fun, creatively, and working it out together was amazing.”
The soul wrenching “Cool Dark Slip” opens with Bradley’s haunting solo piano before exploding into an urgency of hard-driven guitars. “All the songs are personal. It’s the only way I know how to write, but this is one the most achingly intimate songs on the album,” Bradley says. “This song simply penned itself. I had recently lost someone I loved to suicide and I was drowning in loss and anger. In order to find forgiveness, I took on the persona, the story of why, and faced the pain, her pain and what it was like to take her own life.”
The melodic and atmospheric, “This Flame” exposes Bradley’s experience with the Angeles National Forest Station fire that burned Bassist/Producer Michael Wallace’s Stonyville Cabin & Studios to the ground in 2010. “The fire took on a feminine identity and I hated her with all my heart. I speak directly to her in the song, telling her how she took from me a sense of safety and security. I had no power against her, and the change she was forcing upon me with her raging inferno. People like to think that the songs are always autobiographical when actually they are not. They are all very personal and meaningful to me, but I’m stepping into a persona as I am affected by a story, a confession, an event or the imagery of a situation. In the end, it’s always personal.”
Rounding out the release is the dramatic and expressive, “Sword & Stone”. “I loved writing Sword & Stone – it was originally commissioned by director Carmella Cardina for her film adaptation of Shakespeare’s play, The Tempest, and it became so much more than a movie theme for me. While I was writing about the dramatic journey of Prospero, the main character, and his transformation from rage and conviction into forgiveness, it broke open a place in me that had no concept of how to truly forgive and what forgiveness ultimately means. I don’t want to forgive you, is our nature. Do it anyway, is our higher calling. “
Bradley has toured nationally as a solo artist in support of her first two album projects, Rain and Storm (distributed by eOne), and became the opening act for both Colin Hay and Dionne Warwick & Friends at Miami’s Bank United Center. With the formation of The Longing, the group has performed at numerous rock venues with a unified vision and sound that electrifies an audience. Impressed by her playful theatrics and easy rapport with an enthusiastic crowd at The Viper Room, Music Connection Magazine reviewer, Lisa Elaine Scott writes, “Laura is an accomplished composer and a sophisticated performer. Her risk-taking lyrical story lines, combined with stellar musicianship and a spellbinding stage presence, make for an outstanding live show. Unafraid to stray from the familiar formula, Laura Bradley and The Longing are creating aural art at its best.”
With “Bleed” about to be released, The Longing’s thoughts have focused to returning to the road. Laura reveals, “I never meant for this to be a project four years in the making, but you have to be able to step away and give something space to grow. The end result is exactly what I’ve always wanted: A fourteen song epic release of dramatic and difficult subjects, propelled by the rich and hea