Laura Pergolizzi has a laugh like exploding sandpaper, and it is deployed over and over during the New York-born songwriter’s thoughtful and empathic conversation with Hot Press.

Pergolizzi, who releases irresistible, shape-shifting soft rock as “LP” and says they are comfortable with both “she/her” and “they/them” pronouns, is discussing their fantastic new album Love Lines. Brimming with heartache, reinforced with courage and defiance, it’s an irresistible suite of valentines to surviving on your own terms – assembled as the artist lived life at full speed.

“It’s a vulnerable, gross icky space when you’re releasing new music,” they say. “I don’t know where it’s going to go. My shit doesn’t go straight to the radio like Beyoncé. My stuff’s a grower, not a show-er, as they say. This shit is pretty visceral: you definitely feel like you’re in these relationships.”

Pergolizzi has lived a lot, loved a lot, lost a lot. They feel their life has the same whiz-bang quality as a bustling social media feed. Only in LP’s case it all actually happened. This isn’t a curated, manicured experience. It’s real life in technicolour.

“I do a lot of living. You know when people are like, ‘Everyone’s life seems bigger and more exciting on Instagram’. I’m the opposite. Mine seems decently exciting on Instagram. It’s very exciting in real life. That’s how it should be.”

Credit: Ryan Jay

Part of the tempestuousness of Love Lines is tied to the record originating in LA late in the lockdown. Ravaged by wildfires and an early fulcrum for the Black Lives Matters protests during the pandemic, LA was the cockpit of global political discourse. The shockwaves that started there spread globally – and LP was aware of that, writing Love Lines.

“It’s been a heavy time. We all came out of chaos. Before we went into the pandemic, it was like I could hear the wheels whirring. Things were going so fast. We’re kind of right back there again. It’s exciting times. But it’s heavy.”

Early during Covid, LA felt like the edge of the world – and the end of it, too.

“It’s such a glitzy little city as far as all the things – the sunshine and what have you. I remember those first few days, it was raining – the world was ending as we knew it for a while. There was no sun.”

Huffing in the background, meanwhile, like a comic book villain, was the Orange Menace.

“Trump was on there, with all that fucking nonsense that he spits constantly,” says LP. “Biden has made everybody be able to breath again – some fucking old dude in charge of the country. We were like, ‘Let’s go back to when we were kids, there were old people in there who made us feel safe’. Not some certifiable psychopath.

“Even dumb people could ascertain he was out of his mind. It was terrifying to learn that family members were like, ‘No I’m on board’. What? ‘Okay, speak to you never. Have a great life’. I’m not here to convince you. If that’s your gig man, then fuck.”

That isn’t to say the new material is raw or aggressive. LP wears heart on sleeve; no punches were pulled during the making of Love Lines. However, the music also has a fabulously addictive quality. Whether it’s romping single ‘Golden’ (“There’s something about when you know it / Don’t let it be gone in a moment”) or the effervescent ‘Dayglow’ (“Not a day goes by that I don’t know…We were dayglow”), Love Lines doubles as a monument to beautifully-constructed classic pop.

“Well that’s the thing – a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine goes down,” says LP. “There’s something inherent in how I vocalise. There is hope. In the darkest fucking things, if we’ve learned nothing from the movies, it’s to have hope.

“I don’t care how bad it is – you can’t lose hope. It’s the hardest game in town. But we built this machine - we made this all us. Even money. It’s hilarious in some ways. We made money up – and it rules the world.”

In the run-up to releasing Love Lines, they were shocked by the death of Sinéad O’Connor, whom LP saw as embodying defiance in a world of conformity.

“When she died, it hurt. It was crazy. Perfect example of a person that people weren’t paying attention to – ‘hysterical woman’. It’s the worst. Now, she’s a martyr. I hope it teaches some people what’s up.”

Pergolizzzi was born in 1981, and their career has proceeded at a pace with which they are comfortable. They’ve written for Cher, Christina Aguilera, Backstreet Boys and, following solo hits such as ‘Lost On You’ and ‘Other People’, are closing in on arena status. LP is glad the big time didn’t come knocking when they were in their 20s. Hit the top too early, and you have nowhere to go.

“I’ve worked with people who’ve had like one feature in England. And they think, ‘This is my life now’. No it isn’t. Sorry – this is not your life now. You’ve got to keep going. There is nothing more heartbreaking than being 21 [and peaking]. That sucks, sorry. I’m always grateful for [taking a slower route].”

In the long run, it stands to you travel at your own pace, they believe.

“One of the big things for me – my biggest asset is my perspective, at this point,” says LP. “I don’t believe in short-cuts. My father was a big short-cut guy. I hate that state of mind. It doesn’t add up to anything ultimately. I don’t think you can approach things like that.

“It’s not enjoyable: I got myself through pretty intact. I didn’t bend to anybody’s thing. I’m not good at that. I got myself through – with even my joy intact. I did it. For me, I’ve done it and I want to keep doing it and keep getting better at it. I think I’ve ‘won’ for me.”

LP identifies as lesbian and feels America has entered a dark chapter regarding minority rights. Whether it’s Florida declaring war on trans rights or the US Supreme Court rolling back on abortion law, the United States stands at a crossroads.

“It sounds silly to say, sort of, but that ‘We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it’ slogan that I heard at Pride from the time I was young [is important]. In any movement, [progress] can be glacial. There can be backtracking. We’re in the death rattle of the patriarchy and the cult of antiquated thought. We’ve got people clinging to their old beliefs.

“They’ve got women staying pregnant because they’re not allowed [have an abortion]. I’m trying to do my little part – trying to help people. I’ve got this video coming out – I can’t say much, but it’s so gay that I might have to come out again. It’s the gayest thing I’ve ever done in my life.

“It’s fucking unbelievable. I’m trying to be that guy that the 14-year-old version of me would see and go, ‘Oh my god’. I want to be that: that’s what I’m trying to be. We have a lot of amazing gay people doing their thing right now. It’s very exciting. That’s what’s scaring the motherfuckers.”

The best form of resistance, they say, is to be yourself. That’s where LP is coming from – and where they’re going. “It’s a very exciting time to be alive to be sure. Keep it gay – keeping it fucking extra gay.”

• Love Lines is out now.