Studying abroad in New Zealand. A painful breakup. Crashing on a basement pullout couch. Singing on street corners. Kathleen Hooper and Aubrey Mable have been through it all, and these experiences shaped the indie-folk duo they are today: LVDY. Pronounced “Lady,” the duo’s catalog evokes a roots-driven, soulful folk quality reminiscent of popular artists like Maggie Rodgers, Rising Appalachia, and Of Monsters and Men. This puts them right at home in the Colorado and Denver music scene, where they take inspiration from the nature surrounding them. “We feel most alive & aligned when we are immersed in nature, and we believe you can hear that in our music,” said Hooper and Marble.
Their songwriting process mimics the uninterrupted quality of nature, with Marble playing a riff and asking Hooper to hum and improvise over it. Songs also stem from specific messages the musicians want to express; in the case of the duo’s latest release, “Gold,” they wanted to extend encouragement to a friend struggling with depression. This song and the hopeful messages in all their music clearly resonate in the Denver community, with a dedicated fan group called the LVDYMOB supporting them in every endeavor. This month, LVDY is celebrating their debut album “Gold,” released on April 16. They are also the spotlight artist in Dairy Block’s “Artists on the Rise” concerts and will hold two free outdoor concerts at Dairy Block on May 22 (7 p.m.) and May 23 (3 p.m.). “I don’t think either one of us ever expected to be pursuing music as a career, but we couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”
