OUT TODAY: NATALIE SCHLABS’ NEW LP DON’T LOOK TOO CLOSE

OUT TODAY:   NATALIE SCHLABS’ NEW LP  

DON’T LOOK TOO CLOSE   

Rare is the album in which each song contained therein constitutes must-listen material, but with Don’t Look Too Close, Schlabs pulls off the feat, imbuing each of its nine standout compositions with a radiant glow, refreshing clarity and revelatory grace.  - Albumism 

 Schlabs’ voice possesses an audible kindness to it that allows her to carry her performance with the calmness and sincerity necessary to portray a song crafted on the kind of love that overreaches any one type of relationship. - American Songwriter  

Throughout the course of Don’t Look Too Close, Schlabs establishes her position as a link between the past and future, memory and imagination, child and parent. Her music plays with opposites throughout the project...Schlabs’ new project is, from start to finish, a meditation on the often surprising and seemingly self-contradictory counterparts of life’s biggest changes and challenges. - No Depression 

Natalie Schlabs not only writes what she knows but conveys the meaning of an emotionally charged experience with such tender-hearted expression that it's so easy to fall in love with her songs - PopMatters 

Delicate harmonies and swaying effects feel like a fresh breeze blowing through a field of flowers - Ones To Watch  

 Lyrical sincerity with gorgeous melodies...Natalie Schlabs delivers gilded, Americana-infused sweetness in a song that feels immediately timeless" - Atwood Magazine  

If your life feels like an endless struggle right now...Natalie Schlabs has a message of hope for you. - Audiofemme    

Natalie has kept herself busy this year, and we are all reaping the benefits - Underground Music Collective 

Brings to mind the timeless and melodic pop of the ’70s (plus some crisp Rilo Kiley-esque guitar hooks) with sweet lyrics about someone coming into your life” - Spectral Nights 

Mellow, yet upbeat, and it fills the heart and mind with thoughts and feelings about those that you hold dear. - The Indy Review 

LISTEN: DON’T LOOK TOO CLOSE  

Nashville-based, Texas-bred singer/songwriter Natalie Schlabs has released her new album Don’t Look Too Close. The songs, written while Schlabs was pregnant with her first child, sparked much introspection and reflection, and allowed her to process her fears about motherhood. Each of the album’s nine shimmering tracks live in the tension between the beauty and heartbreak surrounding our closest relationships.   

“‘Don’t Look Too Close’ capitalizes on the duality of the past and the future,” No Depression said of the album’s opener and title track. “In the same breath as she reflects on the struggles she didn’t see her parents having as a kid, Schlabs thinks ahead to her own child’s life, hoping he won’t notice the things that are difficult for her.” In it, Schlabs confronts the inevitability of making mistakes, a cycle that seems nearly impossible to avoid. The song’s accompanying video is about being able to take an honest look at who we really are - the good and the bad. Change can come simply from that awareness. “That Early Love, which PopMatters called “a song made for these desperate times,” celebrates the beauty of enduring love while “Go Outside,” which Ones To Watch called “the perfect indie soundtrack to a summer afternoon,” encourages us to put down our screens and enjoy the beauty us. Schlabs provides encouragement in “See What I See,” giving hope to others who are struggling, and lead single “Home Is You,” the accompanying video of which features fellow artists and friends like Robby Hecht, the members of Oliver the Crow, Betsy Phillips, and gospel/soul powerhouse Liz Vice, celebrates finding your “person.” Bringing the album full-circle is album closer “Ophelia,” written for a friend who lost her daughter, “reaches into the most extreme dichotomy there is, that of life and death,” commented No Depression.  

WATCH: “ENDLESS LOVE” 

WATCH: “DON’T LOOK TOO CLOSE” 

WATCH: “THAT EARLY LOVE” 

  WATCH: “HOME IS YOU” 

Don’t Look Too Close, co-produced by Juan Solorzano and Zachary Dyke, allowed Schlabs to step into indie territory with a compelling mix of instrumentation laced with solo vocals that bloom into easy, delicate harmonies. While her lyrics and arrangements are poignant and compelling, the true magic is in the timbre of Schlabs’ crystalline vocals. “There’s something about the way her voice rises and falls, like the crest of the wave in an ocean of slide guitars and strings,“ said Rockmommy, and added that Schlabs radiates “serious Stevie Nicks vibes.” “Even the most cursory of listens to the inspired assemblage of songs that comprise Don’t Look Too Close validates that she deserves all of the plaudits sure to come her way,” said Albumism. “And if there’s any justice in this world, her career trajectory will surely find her scaling even loftier heights in the years to come.” 

DON’T LOOK TOO CLOSE TRACK LIST: 

THAT EARLY LOVE 

DON’T LOOK TOO CLOSE 

EYE OF THE STORM 

SEE WHAT I SEE 

GO OUTSIDE 

ENDLESS LOVE 

HOME IS YOU 

SEE IN THE DARK 

OPHELIA 

CONNECT WITH NATALIE SCHLABS:  

Website || Facebook || Twitter || Instagram || Spotify || YouTube || Bandcamp 

NATALIE SCHLABS SHARES NEW SINGLE & VIDEO “DON’T LOOK TOO CLOSE”

NATALIE SCHLABS SHARES NEW SINGLE & VIDEO  

“DON’T LOOK TOO CLOSE”    

NEW LP DON’T LOOK TOO CLOSE  SET FOR RELEASE   

ON OCTOBER 16TH  

Schlabs’ voice possesses an audible kindness to it that allows her to carry her performance with the calmness and sincerity necessary to portray a song crafted on the kind of love that overreaches any one type of relationship. - American Songwriter    

Stirring songs...defined by the seamless convergence of her crystalline vocals, introspective  

lyricism and soaring melodies  - Albumism  

Natalie Schlabs not only writes what she knows but conveys the meaning of an emotionally charged experience with such tender-hearted expression that it's so easy to fall in love with her songs - PopMatters  

Delicate harmonies and swaying effects feel like a fresh breeze blowing through a field of flowers - Ones To Watch 

 Lyrical sincerity with gorgeous melodies...Natalie Schlabs delivers gilded, Americana-infused sweetness in a song that feels immediately timeless" - Atwood Magazine 

If your life feels like an endless struggle right now...Natalie Schlabs has a message of hope for you. - Audiofemme 

Brings to mind the timeless and melodic pop of the ’70s (plus some crisp Rilo Kiley-esque guitar hooks) with sweet lyrics about someone coming into your life” - Spectral Nights 

Mellow, yet upbeat, and it fills the heart and mind with thoughts and feelings about those that you hold dear. - The Indy Review 

Photo: Joshua Britt

WATCH: “DON’T LOOK TOO CLOSE” 

LISTEN: “DON’T LOOK TOO CLOSE” 

Natalie Schlabs has unveiled her latest single “Don’t Look Too Close,” the title track from her forthcoming album due out October 16th. The album was written while Schlabs was pregnant with her first child, which sparked a lot of introspection and reflection, and caused her to process her fears about becoming a mother.  

“Don’t Look Too Close,” which simmers with indie pop sensibilities, is about the inevitability of making mistakes, a cycle that seems nearly impossible to avoid. The song’s accompanying video, filmed and directed by Joshua Britt and Neilson Hubbard, visualizes the cycle as Schlabs’ hair and makeup are done and then stripped away repeatedly. It's about being able to take an honest look at who we really are - the good and the bad. Change can come simply from that awareness. 

The title track release follows “That Early Love, which PopMatters called “a song made for these desperate times,” “Go Outside,” which Ones To Watch said is “the perfect indie soundtrack to a summer afternoon,” encouragement anthem “See What I See,” and lead single “Home Is You,” the accompanying video of which features fellow artists and friends like Robby Hecht, the members of Oliver the Crow, Betsy Phillips, and gospel/soul powerhouse Liz Vice.  

WATCH // LISTEN: “THAT EARLY LOVE”   

LISTEN: “GO OUTSIDE”   

LISTEN: “SEE WHAT I SEE”  

LISTEN // WATCH: “HOME IS YOU”   

The nine tracks that comprise Don’t Look Too Close, the second full-length effort from the Texas-bred Nashville-based artist, live in the tension between the beauty and heartbreak surrounding our closest relationships.   

Don’t Look Too Close steps into indie territory with a compelling mix of instrumentation laced with solo vocals that bloom into easy, delicate harmonies. Co-produced by Juan Solorzano and Zachary Dyke, with Caleb Hickman on saxophone and Joshua Rogers on bass, the album swells and ebbs with elegant, absorbing shapes. The songs are moody, candid, and tender, each featuring Schlabs’ characteristically sleek vocals front-and-center, backed by charming instrumental moments that add form and depth to the melodies. 

CONNECT WITH NATALIE SCHLABS:  

Website || Facebook || Twitter || Instagram || Spotify || YouTube || Bandcamp  

NATALIE SCHLABS RELEASES TIMELY NEW SONG “GO OUTSIDE”

NATALIE SCHLABS PREMIERES NEW SINGLE “GO OUTSIDE” 

VIA ONES TO WATCH 

NEW LP DON’T LOOK TOO CLOSE  SET FOR RELEASE  ON OCTOBER 16TH 

Schlabs’ voice possesses an audible kindness to it that allows her to carry her performance with the calmness and sincerity necessary to portray a song crafted on the kind of love that overreaches any one type of relationship. - American Songwriter  

Stirring songs...defined by the seamless convergence of her crystalline vocals, introspective lyricism and soaring melodies  - Albumism 

If your life feels like an endless struggle right now...Natalie Schlabs has a message of hope for you. - Audiofemme 

Lyrical sincerity with gorgeous melodies...Natalie Schlabs delivers gilded, Americana-infused sweetness in a song that feels immediately timeless" - Atwood Magazine 

Brings to mind the timeless and melodic pop of the ’70s (plus some crisp Rilo Kiley-esque guitar hooks) with sweet lyrics about someone coming into your life” - Spectral Nights 

Mellow, yet upbeat, and it fills the heart and mind with thoughts and feelings about those that you hold dear. - The Indy Review

Photo credit: Fairlight Hubbard

Natalie Schlabs has unveiled timely new single “Go Outside,” a track from her forthcoming album Don’t Look Too Close, due out October 16th. “‘Go Outside’ is the perfect indie soundtrack to a summer afternoon,” said Ones To Watch in its premiere. “The airy acoustic guitars and dreamy vocals give the song a magic quality, as if it were a spell to coax you (safely!) out of wherever you've been quarantining. The delicate harmonies and swaying effects feel like a fresh breeze blowing through a field of flowers. More than anything, this song showcases the simple beauty of everyday life.” Schlabs wrote the song as “a reminder to put down my phone and pursue activities that fill me with a tangible sense of the world and my 'flesh and bone' neighbor outside my door,” she explains. “To be outside is to be surrounded by a world I can't control and beauty I did not have to create myself. I can let go of some of my control and simply be.”

LISTEN: “GO OUTSIDE”  

“Go Outside” follows encouragement anthem “See What I See,” and “Home Is You,” a song about that person who is your “person.” Schlabs enlisted fellow artists and friends like Robby Hecht, the members of Oliver the Crow, Betsy Phillips, and gospel/soul powerhouse Liz Vice for the endearing “Home Is You” video. “Even with COVID-19 keeping many of us apart, artists everywhere are still finding ways to put forth creativity and hope,” said Underground Music Collective of the video. “‘With ‘Home Is You,’ we get a personal look at the quality time spent between loved ones — all of whom happen to be singing along to this undeniably catchy tune.”

LISTEN: “SEE WHAT I SEE”   

LISTEN: “HOME IS YOU”  

WATCH: “HOME IS YOU” 

The nine tracks that comprise Don’t Look Too Close, the second full-length effort from the Texas-bred Nashville-based artist, live in the tension between the beauty and heartbreak surrounding our closest relationships. The songs were written when Schlabs was pregnant with her first child, which caused a lot of reflection on her own upbringing and how she wanted to raise him. The album’s title came from the idea that "he’s going to see all the worst of me, be hurt by the worst of me, as much as I don’t want him to, and, as much as I want to be the best for him. I was thinking about how to raise a child, how to pass down values. There’s a dismantling of what I thought I knew,” she explains. “What do I value in my life and where did those things come from? What do I want to share with my children and what do I want to spare them from?”  

Don’t Look Too Close steps into indie territory with a compelling mix of instrumentation laced with solo vocals that bloom into easy, delicate harmonies. Co-produced by Juan Solorzano and Zachary Dyke, with Caleb Hickman on saxophone and Joshua Rogers on bass, the album swells and ebbs with elegant, absorbing shapes. The songs are moody, candid, and tender, each featuring Schlabs’ characteristically sleek vocals front-and-center, backed by charming instrumental moments that add form and depth to the melodies.     

CONNECT WITH NATALIE SCHLABS: 

Website || Facebook || Twitter || Instagram || Spotify || YouTube || Bandcamp

NATALIE SCHLABS PREMIERES ENCOURAGEMENT ANTHEM “SEE WHAT I SEE”

NATALIE SCHLABS PREMIERES ENCOURAGEMENT ANTHEM “SEE WHAT I SEE” VIA AUDIOFEMME

NEW LP DON’T LOOK TOO CLOSE SET FOR RELEASE ON OCTOBER 16TH

Schlabs’ voice possesses an audible kindness to it that allows her to carry her performance with the calmness and sincerity necessary to portray a song crafted on the kind of love that overreaches any one type of relationship. - American Songwriter

Photo: Fairlight Hubbard

Nashville-based singer/songwriter Natalie Schlabs has released “See What I See,” the second single from her forthcoming album Don’t Look Too Close, due out October 16th, just in time for Mental Health Awareness Month. “If your life feels like an endless struggle right now…Natalie Schlabs has a message of hope for you. Her latest single, ‘See What I See,’ reassures people in various difficult situations that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, even if they can’t see it at the moment,” said Audiofemme of the song, written to lend encouragement to those who are struggling. “I think we can all offer our eyes to someone when they’re having a hard time, imagining they will be OK again,” Schlabs told Audiofemme.

LISTEN: “SEE WHAT I SEE”

“See What I See” follows lead single “Home Is You,” a song about that person who is your “person.” “Romantic, timeless love songs are great, but what about other kinds of love? Best friends, childhood neighbors, brothers and sisters, a mentor and mentee, family. This is just the kind of angle singer-songwriter Natalie Schlabs poses in many of her songs, including her latest, “Home Is You,” said American Songwriter in its premiere of the track. In this time of social distancing, Schlabs got creative with the song’s video. “Even with COVID-19 keeping many of us apart, artists everywhere are still finding ways to put forth creativity and hope,” said Underground Music Collective. “As for the video? It features at-home footage of Schlabs and her closest family and friends — including fellow musicians like Robby Hecht, the members of Oliver the Crow, Betsy Phillips, and gospel/soul powerhouse Liz Vice. With ‘Home Is You,’ we get a personal look at the quality time spent between loved ones — all of whom happen to be singing along to this undeniably catchy tune.”

LISTEN: “HOME IS YOU”

WATCH: “HOME IS YOU”

The nine tracks that comprise Don’t Look Too Close, the second full-length effort from the Texas-bred Nashville-based artist, live in the tension between the beauty and heartbreak surrounding our closest relationships. The songs were written when Schlabs was pregnant with her first child, which caused a lot of reflection on her own upbringing and how she wanted to raise him. The album’s title came from the idea that "he’s going to see all the worst of me, be hurt by the worst of me, as much as I don’t want him to, and, as much as I want to be the best for him. I was thinking about how to raise a child, how to pass down values. There’s a dismantling of what I thought I knew,” she explains. “What do I value in my life and where did those things come from? What do I want to share with my children and what do I want to spare them from?” 

Don’t Look Too Close steps into indie territory with a compelling mix of instrumentation laced with solo vocals that bloom into easy, delicate harmonies. Co-produced by Juan Solorzano and Zachary Dyke, with Caleb Hickman on saxophone and Joshua Rogers on bass, the album swells and ebbs with elegant, absorbing shapes. The songs are moody, candid, and tender, each featuring Schlabs’ characteristically sleek vocals front-and-center, backed by charming instrumental moments that add form and depth to the melodies.

CONNECT WITH NATALIE SCHLABS:

Website || Facebook || Twitter || Instagram || Spotify || YouTube || Bandcamp

NATALIE SCHLABS PREMIERES NEW SINGLE “HOME IS YOU” & ANNOUNCES NEW LP "DON’T LOOK TOO CLOSE" SET FOR RELEASE ON OCTOBER 16TH

PHOTO: FAIRLIGHT HUBBARD

Singer/songwriter Natalie Schlabs has announced her forthcoming album Don’t Look Too Close,  due out October 16th, with the release of lead single “Home Is You.” The song was co-written with Bekah Ham and features backing vocals from Katie Herzig. “Romantic, timeless love songs are great, but what about other kinds of love? Best friends, childhood neighbors, brothers and sisters, a mentor and mentee, family. This is just the kind of angle singer-songwriter Natalie Schlabs poses in many of her songs, including her latest, “Home Is You,” said American Songwriter in its premiere of the track, inspired by that person who is your “person.” “Schlabs’ voice possesses an audible kindness to it, that allows her to carry her performance with the calmness and sincerity necessary to portray a song crafted on the kind of love that overreaches any one type of relationship.” “Home Is You”

LISTEN: “HOME IS YOU”

The nine tracks that comprise Don’t Look Too Close, the second full-length effort from the Texas-bred Nashville-based artist, live in the tension between the beauty and heartbreak surrounding our closest relationships. The songs were written when Schlabs was pregnant with her first child, which caused a lot of reflection on her own upbringing and how she wanted to raise him. The album’s title came from the idea that "he’s going to see all the worst of me, be hurt by the worst of me, as much as I don’t want him to, and, as much as I want to be the best for him. I was thinking about how to raise a child, how to pass down values. There’s a dismantling of what I thought I knew,” she explains. “What do I value in my life and where did those things come from? What do I want to share with my children and what do I want to spare them from?” 

The tracks on Don’t Look Too Close traverse the spectrum of feelings that tend to coincide with love, from bittersweet consideration of “the wilderness caused by depression or illness” in “See What I See,” to the haunting gentleness of “Ophelia,” written for a friend who lost her daughter. The title track addresses the everyday aches and pains people tend to hide from loved ones, and reflects on love’s blindness, how “sometimes the ones you love will never know how much you love them.” The album as a whole represents a place, a time, and a pocket of feelings that are as distinctly human as they are beautiful. “Growing up surrounded by family in the flatlands, there’s not a whole lot going on outside of the people. The climate is extreme, and isolation binds you to the people around you. Everyone’s in each other’s business, and you learn that love can go in many directions. Sometimes it’s about solidarity and sacrifice, sometimes it’s obsessive or painful,” Schlabs says. “This record is about navigating those feelings within our closest relationships.”

Don’t Look Too Close steps into indie territory with a compelling mix of instrumentation laced with solo vocals that bloom into easy, delicate harmonies. Co-produced by Juan Solorzano and Zachary Dyke, with Caleb Hickman on saxophone and Joshua Rogers on bass, the album swells and ebbs with elegant, absorbing shapes. The songs are moody, candid, and tender, each featuring Schlabs’ characteristically sleek vocals front-and-center, backed by charming instrumental moments that add form and depth to the melodies.

CONNECT WITH NATALIE SCHLABS:

Website || Facebook || Twitter || Instagram || Spotify || YouTube || Bandcamp