LACES returns with teeth bared on the fabulous ‘Salt’, a gritty, unflinching track that throws open the emotional ledger of late-stage capitalism. With razor-sharp lyricism and a pulsing edge, the LA-based artist lays bare the cost of chasing success in a system rigged against authenticity and well-being.
Instead of romanticising hustle culture, ‘Salt’ tears it down, line by line. LACES vents frustration at the myth that effort alone earns stability, all while calling out the opportunists who benefit from others’ exhaustion: “emotional & greedy vampires” lurking behind polished brands and inflated egos.
Released in tandem with Mental Health Awareness Month, the track flips chronicle burnout into resistance. There’s defiance in every note, a refusal to stay silent, and a declaration that boundaries are more than buzzwords, they’re survival tactics.
Through her work in sync licensing and as a trailblazing queer executive, Jessica Vaughn (aka LACES) has long been navigating high-pressure creative spaces. ‘Salt’ feels like a release valve for everything that’s been internalised too long. It’s an exhale, a protest, and a reminder that choosing yourself in a world demanding your depletion is a radical act; “Giddy up pony break your back all day/I used to have fun and now I get paid”.
If you’ve ever felt chewed up by the system and spit out with a smile slapped on, this one’s for you.
