Milwaukee-based singer-songwriter Trent Houck unveils his debut studio album, Adrift, under the moniker Cradle P. Lavender, marking a poignant musical journey through themes of isolation, grief, anger, and self-discovery. Written in secrecy during Houck’s sophomore year of high school and slated for release on June 21st, 2024, this album is a deeply personal exploration that spans a spectrum of genres, showcasing his versatility and emotive depth.
Adrift opens a window into Houck’s introspective world, where the listener is immediately drawn into a narrative of transformation and introspection. From the bold, blistering energy of indie rock anthems to the intimate introspection of singer-songwriter folk, each track on the album offers a unique perspective on Houck’s emotional landscape. We sat down with Trent to learn more about the record, and much, much more, exclusively for FLEX. Check it out below!
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Ahead of debut solo album 'Adrift' set to release on June 21st - how does it feel to finally share this project with the world?
If I'm being completely honest I'm feeling very nervous about it currently! There are a couple tracks on here that I know are not going to go over well with my family so I'm really stressing about how to handle all of that. I don't want anyone to be hurt or upset by the record, but I also don't want to censor myself in my music. Writing these songs helped me process so much from both the past and the present and one of those things is my upbringing- I thought about changing certain lyrics but ultimately decided doing that would be inauthentic and would ultimately take away from the record. But despite that I am also excited and I really feel like I'm putting my best foot forward in all aspects with this record. Although it was written pretty soon after my EP Sunburn I think it's a much better representation of who I am as both a musician and a person than that EP is.
What inspired you to write Adrift during your sophomore year?
It's hard to say honestly. I didn't set out to create a particular sound or to write about anything in particular. Most of these songs just started with me just messing around with alternate guitar tunings. I was also listening to a lot of songwriters who write in a very autobiographical and confessional manner like Lady Lamb, Mitski, and Lucy Dacus so I guess it's natural that I approached writing lyrics in that way as well.
How did your feelings of isolation and change influence the album?
Honestly, I was just writing about what I was going through and how I was feeling at the time. I was outgrowing friendships and starting to process trauma from my upbringing, and I was thinking about who I truly wanted to be for the first time. If I had to choose just three major themes of Adrift it would probably be those.
Which song on the album resonates with you the most and why?
Waxing/Waning. It's funny because I actually have zero memory of writing that song and I didn't understand the meaning of it for a really long time. But now I realize that song is largely about wanting to heal and to be able to express myself and my emotions unapologetically even though it may feel wrong. It's me telling myself that I am allowed to be someone different than who others want me to be. I'm still working on doing all of those things. It's the song that I'm most nervous about having other people hear and I honestly feel a lot of guilt about releasing it. The lyrics at the end are also so blunt and kind of jarring for me to hear and sing sometimes, but given what was happening at that time I don't think it would make sense for Adrift to end in any other way.
You’re now 20 years old and say you’ve changed a lot since writing these songs. In what ways do you feel you’ve grown, and how does that growth reflect in your music?
I used to be much more of a black and white thinker when I was younger and although I do struggle with that sometimes still, I see how nuanced and complex we all are and I've learned to be a little more forgiving and compassionate towards other people and I've definitely explored that in future material. Don't get me wrong, i definitely can still write a mean song and I still have a lot of anger and resentment inside of me, but even when I tap into that I still try and write from a more empathetic place.
What was the most memorable part of recording Adrift?
This is super embarrassing to admit, but when we started recording Adrift in late 2022 I rented a U-Haul truck to drive from Milwaukee to Rockford because I didn't want to tell my parents I was making an album. I was living in the dorms at UW-Milwaukee and I didn't have my car and I didn't want to ask my parents to come and take me home for the weekend because I didn't want to have to tell them why I was coming home. I could have totally just lied and said I was doing something else but nope! It was such a waste of money all because I felt weird and embarrassed about the fact I was making a record, but it makes for a funny story! They actually found out about it pretty shortly after anyway.
Also, the first time we tried to record Blue Love, the piano song, I tried to play it on a traditional grand piano that they had at the studio but I am by no means a piano player and I could not handle sitting down to play or the weighted keys. I wrote that song on a really really old keyboard that is super beat up. One of my cats puked on it at one point and I've never able to fully get it out of the speakers. I really didn't want to bring it to the studio because I'm embarrassed of how nasty it looks but it was clear I wasn't going to be able to do it on the piano they had there so I brought it anyways and that's what you hear on the record! Every time I hear that song I just think of the cat puke keyboard.
And finally, What advice do you have for young musicians feeling isolated?
I'm not sure honestly. I'm still a young musician feeling isolated! I feel like the obvious answer is to put yourself out there and try to connect with more people, and sometimes that works great! But sometimes putting yourself out there (at least for me) can make you feel even more lonely and insecure. I feel like everybody experiences loneliness so differently and therefore the ways we cope with and try to get out of it are also so different. I guess maybe just to try to prioritise things that you enjoy? Maybe in a couple years I'll have a more solid answer to that question.
Stream "Adrift" in full here: