As Berlin's COVID lockdown regulations slowly eased up in the summer of 2021, Laura Carbone began work on her next record with guitarist Mark Eric Lewis and her band. With no deadline and no decisive criteria, they worked at their own pace, confident that if they all felt that what they were creating was good, then it was. When additional recording for The Cycle wrapped up in Los Angeles under Mark's supervision that summer, all that was left to do was Laura's vocals. With the musical groundwork laid and her personal and artistic metamorphosis now complete, Laura now unfurled her wings and took flight, adding the crowning touch, the pièce de resistance, confidently channeling and crafting her vocal parts from the earthy to the ethereal, exploring new vocal range terrain and creating the intricate choral arrangements that are a signature of The Cycle. When the final hand-claps and backing vocals were recorded in Berlin in October of 2022, Laura and her cohorts had recorded 13 songs clocking in at 66 minutes. Thrilled with every track they decided The Cycle would be a double album. Grammy award-winning producer and mixer Collin Dupuis (St. Vincent, Black Keys, Lana Del Rey, The Pretenders) took on the task of mixing The Cycle in Detroit, showing an instinctive understanding of the album's musical aspirations and translating them into a holistic artistic statement; the final polish was added with mastering by the outstanding Philipp Welsing at Original Mastering in Hamburg. In 13 songs The Cycle explores the emotional turmoil and triumphs a transformative experience brings for the protagonist, the heroine behind the concept album as she moves through the seasons of a year. Simultaneously, it charts the metamorphosis of the artist now ready to share a wisdom acquired through trial by fire in a relatable and symbolic story, offering a powerful voice of healing and hope to an ailing, aching world.
