These days, it often feels like we put a strong emphasis on knowing exactly what and who we are, when, in reality, life is a journey filled with self-discovery and navigating our identities. That exploration is simply part of living. And nothing requires more exploration than the pathway to realizing how we are desired by others, and desire in turn. Liang Lawrence’s latest single “Use Me” delves into female sexuality and what it means to feel wanted, sexy, or even just useful in some way, shape, or form. The track is filled with searching, introspective lyrics, splaying out the emotions that come from not knowing who you are that may cause you to instead mold yourself into those around you. But, that might not always be a bad thing– even if you’re still figuring yourself out, you can be comforted by the fact that there is power in exploration, and the discoveries made thereafter.
If you like Phoebe Bridgers, Clairo, or any similar female artists in that vein, then “Use Me” is going to be right up your alley. Personally, I love the soft rock and alt pop sound, so when the track began with understated strings and temperate percussion, I was immediately pulled into the world Liang was crafting. The tentative instrumentals remain a constant presence throughout the song’s runtime, with occasional moments in the verses where they are even more subdued, but they always come back to their original mellow tune as the chorus comes back. I really loved how their strength in the chorus painted the narrator’s desire to be useful– usable, really– but nevertheless was still slightly misty and fluid, rather than highly upbeat. It worked phenomenally well alongside the track’s songwriting, which details the narrator’s want to be desirably malleable for other people. As the chorus goes: “Use me, I could be everything that you need.” As much as the song is about being everything and anything for others, it is also illustrative of the roads and unpaved pathways that female sexuality undergoes in the modern day. That tiring yet lingering need to be exactly what someone wants haunts the song, especially evident when the narrator sings, “God, I can’t keep doing this / I’ll play pretend / Give you my best lines”. It’s a back-and-forth of “I can’t do this anymore” and “I’ll do it anyways”, a confusing, zig-zag journey with no clear destination, at least at that moment. Still, there is great power in exploration; this in-between time in your life is just as important as the days when you finally know who you are. Liang does a beautiful job of condensing so many complex feelings into one song, “Use Me” being the synthesis of an exploration of sexuality and identity.
Singer-songwriter Liang Lawrence grew up in eight different countries before she was eighteen, which has led her to carve a home everywhere she goes. This fluidity shines brightly through her music, which has gained listeners all over the world. Liang first taught herself to play the guitar while she wrote songs in her bedroom, and from there the initial buds of her musical career were planted. Through her songwriting, she seeks to create stories and paint the, oftentimes, messy emotions that come with daily life. Similar to artists such as Clairo, The Japanese House, beabadoobee, boygenius, and Lizzy McAlpine, her music has that soft yet raw quality that we all know and love from the indie folk and soft rock genres. Her debut single “Santa Cruz” released in 2020, and her debut EP “letters to myself” followed three years later in 2023. “letters to myself” has garnered support from BBC Radio 1 Future Pop and BBC Introducing in the South West, as well as having well over four million streams on Spotify. “Use Me” is Liang’s most recent release. If you enjoyed the song, drop her a follow to keep track of her next projects!
Written By Alexa Leung
FOLLOW LIANG LAWRENCE: