Moving away for college from your hometown represents a fresh start for most people. For Cradle P. Lavender, it meant opening up and releasing the most vulnerable part of himself, a part he’s kept secret: his music.
Trenton Houck, also known as Cradle P. Lavender, is a freshman studying public health at UW-Milwaukee. He released his debut EP “Sunburn” on October 7, 2022, despite having written the songs during spring of his freshman year in high school, all the way back in 2019. “I honestly was just kind of embarrassed about it,” Houck recalled in his first ever interview for UWM’s Prowl Radio, “I knew it wasn’t bad, I knew it was good, but I still didn’t want to show people, in fear that I would be made fun of.”
After the interview, he revealed that he rented a U-Haul truck to drive to Rockford, IL to record his EP, simply to avoid questions from his family. He was keen on keeping it a secret, until now. “I waited to come here so I could kind of start over. I’d be surrounded by a bunch of new people, and I could kind of go into college as a musician.” For him, attending UWM and releasing his EP represented the turning of a new leaf. “It was time. I had hidden it for so long, I was just tired of it.”
“Sunburn” reveals a side to Houck that may not be obvious upon first meeting him. The melancholic guitar melodies and sensitive lyrics reveal his sense of intimacy. Although Houck said the songs don’t necessarily have anything to do with one another, but the EP as a whole represents how emotional he truly is. It has a stripped back, personable feel, with the songs mainly consisting of Houck’s guitar, aside from the standout track: “Thank You.” The drums jump in shortly after the first chorus and give the song an indie pop feel despite it’s sensitive, revealing lyrics: “Thank you to fluoxetine for trying to make me happy / I’m afraid you didn’t succeed but thank you anyways.” Houck credits some of his inspiration to artists like Lucy Dacus, Elliot Smith, Mitski, Perfume Genius and Julien Baker: “I think [they] influence my music a lot, and I think you can hear it.” His influences are evident throughout “Sunburn”: the poetic and emotive lyrics in “Bodyguard” are clearly inspired by Mitski’s storytelling, the lovely acoustic strings of “Running Water” are reminiscent of Julien Baker.
Houck’s first live performance as Cradle P. Lavender happened at UWM’s open mic night in the Sandburg Channel.:
“I was really nervous; I was shaking a lot and I think you can definitely tell. But I had my suitemate Jo record it, and I watched it like, obsessively over and over again, and honestly– I think it went well. I don’t think it sounded bad at all. I think I did a good job.” Acoustic guitar in hand, he performed “Running Water” for the first time in front of a small audience of UWM students, with boisterous cheering from his immensely supportive friends that accompanied him off stage.
Houck hopes that the Sandburg Channel won’t be the only place he performs. “I’m hoping to start playing shows, like full sets, not just one song at an open mic. I’ve been emailing bars and venues and not really getting anywhere because most places only really respond to people they know, which is understandable.”
Houck also revealed that he recently joined Midcoast Collective, a grassroots artist collective based in Milwaukee that aims to support local artists and activist groups through benefit concerts and mutual aid.
Houck’s future in music is bright and merely beginning, but he does have two full length albums already written. He is letting the stars decide when his works should be released, but hopefully astrology allows us to hear more from Cradle P. Lavender soon. He’s a talent you don’t want to miss!
Listen to the debut EP “Sunburn” from Cradle P. Lavender now on Spotify! You can find him on Instagram at @cradleplavendar.