Lanie Gardner Reflects On Nostalgic Memories That Shaped Her In Title Track Of Forthcoming Sophomore Album, “Faded Polaroids”

The title track to her sophomore album.

If you haven’t heard Lanie Gardner’s name before, at some point, you’ve probably seen her extremely viral cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams,” which she shared on Youtube around four years ago, and it quickly caught the eye of many fans… over 64 million and counting now, to be exact. She has such an incredible voice, obviously, to be able to sing a song like this and really nail it:

Since then, Lanie has been putting out music and trying to carve out a career path in country music. She made her Grand Ole Opry debut earlier this week, and earlier this summer, she put out her beautiful Polaroids EP.

Growing up in western North Carolina, Lanie’s late grandfather inspired her love for music, and she has a knack for storytelling and uses inspiration from her childhood in the mountains to guide everything she puts out today. Her family was full of musicians, and she learned to sing from her mother and play guitar from her father. Lanie moved to Nashville from small town  has toured with acts like Jelly Roll, and more recently, played her first set at Stagecoach, and today, she released the title track to her debut album, Faded Polaroids.

The song was written by Lanie along with the great Lori McKenna, Oscar Charles and Barry Dean, and certainly has flavors of indie-pop in the production. Gardner calls it “the heart of the album,” and she pulled from her deeply personal experiences that made her who she is today in order to craft the lyrics:

“‘Faded Polaroids’ is the heart of the album. The idea came from going through a box of old photos. How I experience life today is because of those moments. The biggest thing I’ve learned is how important it is to remember. The simple things make you happy, and to understand that, you have to search for yourself.”

My favorite line is when she talks about spending “another night in the stars trying to lasso the moon”:

“Another day another mountain
Under my boots
Another night in the stars
Trying to lasso the moon
Keep turning the pages
And filling the frame

What I’ve got
Is a sunburst six string
In my heart
The smell of coffee on a Sunday
Buzzin’ like a spring bee
Local honey memory”

Gardner put out her debut album A Songwriter’s Diary in 2024, and her sophomore album is due out everywhere next month on September 5th. The tracklist consists of 18 songs, some of which were included on her aforementioned Polaroids EP, and it’s shaping up to be a solid record and impressive project that shows off bother her natural talent for songwriting and impressive vocal ability.

The title track is a statement for what the album represents, and I’m excited to hear the full project. Lanie is certainly a young name to keep your eye on, and you can listen to “Faded Polaroids” below.

“Faded Polaroids”

The post Lanie Gardner Reflects On Nostalgic Memories That Shaped Her In Title Track Of Forthcoming Sophomore Album, “Faded Polaroids” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.