Biography
Little Scream serves as the performing moniker for Laurel Sprengelmeyer, a vocalist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist whose output centers on ambitious, grand-scale indie pop. Her recordings balance lush textures with intimate detail, guided by a restrained folk sensibility yet shaped by indie-pop melodies and occasional bursts of rock energy. The 2011 release The Golden Record set the foundational template for this approach, while her third album, Speed Queen from 2019, incorporated a sharper political perspective.
Sprengelmeyer entered the world in Iowa and passed her early years across the United States before moving to Canada and emerging as a central presence in Montreal’s indie community. Adopting the name Little Scream, she began composing material that shifted between close-up folk settings and sweeping cinematic rock, forging a distinctive voice that drew parallels to Orenda Fink and Leslie Feist. Momentum built quickly, securing a deal with Secretly Canadian and endorsements from Stars, Arcade Fire, and Bell Orchestre; participants from each ensemble contributed to The Golden Record, issued in early 2011 and met with favorable notices. Extensive touring followed, yet several years elapsed before a successor appeared.
After joining Merge Records in early 2016, Little Scream issued the long-anticipated Cult Following the following May. The set included contributions from Sufjan Stevens, Sharon Van Etten, Aaron Dessner and Bryce Dessner of the National, and Mary Margaret O’Hara. Further road work ensued, and while crossing the United States she registered the deepening cultural and economic fractures across the country. Those impressions shaped the material for Speed Queen, which Merge Records released in October 2019.
Sprengelmeyer entered the world in Iowa and passed her early years across the United States before moving to Canada and emerging as a central presence in Montreal’s indie community. Adopting the name Little Scream, she began composing material that shifted between close-up folk settings and sweeping cinematic rock, forging a distinctive voice that drew parallels to Orenda Fink and Leslie Feist. Momentum built quickly, securing a deal with Secretly Canadian and endorsements from Stars, Arcade Fire, and Bell Orchestre; participants from each ensemble contributed to The Golden Record, issued in early 2011 and met with favorable notices. Extensive touring followed, yet several years elapsed before a successor appeared.
After joining Merge Records in early 2016, Little Scream issued the long-anticipated Cult Following the following May. The set included contributions from Sufjan Stevens, Sharon Van Etten, Aaron Dessner and Bryce Dessner of the National, and Mary Margaret O’Hara. Further road work ensued, and while crossing the United States she registered the deepening cultural and economic fractures across the country. Those impressions shaped the material for Speed Queen, which Merge Records released in October 2019.
Albums
Singles
