---
title: "Artist to Watch: Little Scream"
url: https://altwire.net/finished-artist-watch-little-scream/
author: "Altwire Staff"
published: 2016-04-25T03:29:26+00:00
updated: 2023-12-06T11:38:01+00:00
categories: ["News"]
tags: ["Artists To Watch", "Pop"]
source: "AltWire (altwire.net)"
---

# Artist to Watch: Little Scream

*By Altwire Staff · April 24, 2016*

*(Photo courtesy of Little Scream's Facebook Page)*

Laurel Sprengelmeyer, better known by her stage name **Little Scream,** is set to be the next indie darling. Sprengelmeyer get her start in the music industry by working as a backing vocalist on **The National**’s 2008 album *High Violet*. Her debut album, 2011’s [*The Golden Record*](https://open.spotify.com/album/4MLyKcTcjdbBxwOYntMjjm), received a rating of 8.1 from the notoriously critical Pitchfork, and was on the longlist for Canada’s Polaris Prize. *The Golden Record* saw collaborations from **Arcade Fire**’s Richard Reed Parry, who co-produced the record, as well as his bandmate Sarah Neufeld, The National’s Aaron Dessner, and **Silver Mt. Zion**’s Rebecca Foon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsCkOn_uXo4

Five years later, Little Scream is signed to Merge Records (Arcade Fire, **Neutral Milk Hotel**, **Conor Oberst**) and managed by Zeitgeist (**Death Cab for Cutie**, **Best Coast**). Having just come off tour with fellow Zeitgeist act **Thao & The Get Down Stay Down**, Sprengelmeyer is preparing to release Little Scream’s sophomore album, *Cult Following*, on May 6. *Cult Following* will see Sprengelmeyer working with even more celebrity collaborations.

The 12-track album will include appearances from **Sufjan Stevens**, Aaron and Bryce Dessner (The National), Owen Pallett (Arcade Fire, **Final Fantasy**), **Sharon Van Etten**, Kyp Malone (**TV on the Radio**), and **Mary Margaret O’ Hara**. Richard Reed Parry is once again credited on the album, this time as Sprengelmeyer’s “creative partner”.

Despite these all-star guest appearances, Sprengelmeyer holds her own where it matters most: her music. *Cult Following* has seen four singles so far leading up to it’s release next week, and each single explores a different side to Sprengelmeyer’s blend of top 40 pop and her roots in the experimental/art rock world. First single *“Love as a Weapon”* occupies a space between **Ingrid Michaelson** and **St. Vincent**, with a vocal melody and beat so simple and infectious that it’s impossible not to get into it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq4Vw4MB6eA

*[“Someone Will Notice”](https://open.spotify.com/album/18hp3yeNokBNsstSOjITVK)* is a lush track in the vein of **Broken Social Scene** that was inspired by [Amanda Todd](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_of_Amanda_Todd) and the many other victims of depression and bullying. *“The Kissing”* features Kyp Malone’s guest appearance as well as waves of guitar riffs. The fourth and latest single *[“Dark Dance”](https://open.spotify.com/track/1oy00LRx3kCkfzKhcl0da1)* is a glistening effort that manages to marry the pop sensibility of “Love as a Weapon” with the lo-fi vibe of *“Someone Will Notice”*. The big names attached to *Cult Following* and Little Scream will give Sprengelmeyer’s project the attention it deserves, but her achievements and talent are enough to turn her into the next mainstream crossover. *Little Scream’s next album,* *Cult Following**, will be released on May 6. Check out the leading singles from* *Cult Following* *and her debut album* *The Golden Record* *below!*

https://open.spotify.com/artist/2U7njwghtRR6ofLobG32Lk

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From AltWire: https://altwire.net/finished-artist-watch-little-scream/