Toronto bassist and composer Lauren Falls has announced her second album as a bandleader, A Little Louder Now.

The recording follows her debut album The Quiet Fight in 2013, and it showcases her growth as a musician and composer since then. The title speaks to Falls’ personal evolution, becoming more confident and courageous as both a musician and a person.

The recording features seven original compositions and the Victor Youmans standard I Want to Be Happy.

A Little Louder Now features saxophonist David French, guitarist Trevor Giancola, pianist Todd Pentney, and Falls’ brother Trevor on the drums. Falls had each musician’s specific musical voice in mind while writing the material for the album.

Falls grew up in Port Alberni, B.C., a small town on Vancouver Island. She moved to Toronto in 2004 to attend Humber College’s music program before heading to New York to complete a master’s degree at the Manhattan School of Music. She stayed in New York for nine years and returned in 2017. Falls has since become a go-to live and session musician on the Toronto jazz and blues scene, and she’s part of the jazz faculty at the University of Toronto. In 2020, Falls was a finalist for the Toronto Arts Council’s Emerging Artist Award.

Falls participated in JAZZ.FM91’s Jazzology program in 2007.