REVIEW: Lawrence Gaughan – ‘What About The Day We Had’

Lawrence Gaughan returns with his sixth studio album ‘What About The Day We Had’, a record that feels like a moment of reflection captured in motion. If his previous release ‘Miracles’ leaned into instrumental expansiveness and a kaleidoscopic musical palette, this new offering feels more intimate and immediate, yet just as rich in texture and emotion.

Where ‘Miracles’ offered cinematic swells and expressive guitar landscapes, ‘What About The Day We Had’ pulls closer to the skin. It’s a diaristic collection, weaving rustic storytelling with swirling psych-folk tones and the occasional alt-rock crunch. The album finds Gaughan not just playing instruments, but seemingly using them as extensions of memory, of fleeting moments and lost afternoons.

Throughout, his songwriting feels lived-in and instinctive. Tracks unfold slowly, revealing layers of earnest reflection and detail, like the flutter of a background synth or the subtle bend of a chord. His guitar remains central, but this time it’s more conversational than commanding, leaving space for lyrics that explore themes of longing, reconnection, and the passage of time.

Vocally, there’s a hushed warmth that recalls the intimacy of Elliott Smith or the introspective leanings of early Iron & Wine. But Gaughan’s voice is distinctly his own.

The album’s production is lush without being overdone, a balance he has always handled well. His multi-instrumentalist roots show up in subtle flourishes, but nothing feels forced. It’s organic and full of care, like he built it room by room.

‘What About The Day We Had’ is not concerned with being flashy or loud. It’s an immersive triumph; thoughtful, emotionally resonant, and deeply human. Lawrence Gaughan continues to chart his own path through the independent music landscape, and with each new project, he proves he’s making a life’s work out of listening closely to the world, and then giving it back in song.