“Otherwise, I’m Fine” is an ode to Spear’s first time touring in the UK and EU. “I took one of my best friends, and she was the tour manager slash driver because I didn't have my license at the time,” she says. “I had no idea what I was doing, and neither did she.” Spear’s vocal is delicate and smooth, akin to her folk godmothers Gillian Welch and Laura Marling: “You could carry it all / And I could carry a tune,” she sings. 

Spear writes about her best friend Ali Vanderkruyk often. “I’m a Cancer and [Vanderkryk’s] a Capricorn,” she says. “We're opposites, but the way my friend explained it to me was like: you’re sitting on opposite sides of the table, looking at each other. So, you see each other, even though you couldn’t be more different.” Spear claims that she isn’t big into astrology but entertains an annual birthday reading.

Reminiscent of Big Thief’s “Certainty”, fourth track “Gold in California” feels like rolling hills. It’s earthy, whimsical, and perfectly imperfect - much like its accompanying music video. Directed by Talvi Faustmann, the video features Spear and Gielen as “Cheerful Girl” and “Boy Who Needs Cheering Up.” The pair spend a sunny day climbing trees, exploring a mall fantasy fair, and slow-dancing in a picturesque mansion. “[Faustmann] has this friend who has this insane house in Toronto who let us shoot there for free,” she says. “He’s this eccentric man who has this crazy collection of art. There’s no way you could have made a set look like this because it’s just so personal to him.”

If she could, Lauren Spear would put out a record every year. “I write in a way that’s kind of continuous,” she says. “I feel like I always have a backlog of songs because I like to write as if I’m journaling.” plays like a journal, with confessional songwriting following Spear through her most transformative years. She’s excitedly anticipating the day she can share her songs with the world, but plans to avoid streaming statistics at all costs. “My astrologist friend said, ‘Do not look during release week!’” she says. “So I will be putting my phone away and cracking the champagne!”