Lauren Ruth Ward / SLUGS / Grace Givertz

At 22 years old, Lauren Ruth Ward had a career in hairstyling that was going quite well. She was ambitious, successful, and doing work she loved, yet something was missing. “I saw the music then, but I was behind a chair six days a week,” says Ward about coming to terms with pursuing another career. In 2015, Ward packed up her life and took a road trip to her new home: Los Angeles. After a challenging, perfectionistic pursuit, Ward formed a band with Liv Slingerland on bass, India Pascucci on drums, and fellow songwriter Eduardo Rivera on guitar.  

Together, they created Ward’s debut album, Well, Hell, a nine-track sampler of what she calls the band’s “four modes.” The band’s chameleonic moods are punctuated by Ward’s playfulness with her bandmates on stage, her willingness to dance with the audience, and her signature white-dotted eyes. Ward’s music has gained her a dedicated international fanbase—in fact, three fans flew from France to be at the Well, Hell record release show in Los Angeles. 

SLUGS is an indie rock band based in Los Angeles.

Grace Givertz is an indie folk singer-songwriter based in Boston, Massachusetts.