Posted on February 28, 2026
My proudest achievement of 2025 was releasing new music: two singles and an EP! Having not released a project since my Honest EP in 2020 (although I later released the acoustic version in 2021), I’ve been so desperate to release more music but health stuff got in the way and it took a long time to get back to a place where I was even close to capable of managing the stress of putting out a new project (and stressful it was). Given everything that happened between late June and December, I didn’t have the headspace, the physical ability, the time, or any combination of the three to write about it properly. But I didn’t want to skip it because it is so important to me and to the last year so – finally – here is the post about my recent EP, Too Much And Not Enough, Vol. 1. This is – hopefully – the first in a series about my experiences of being autistic, inspired by how lonely and isolating it was to grow up, never seeing or hearing my life represented in books, film, TV, music, and so on. It’s taken a long time to feel ready to take on a project like this but now that I am, I know without a doubt that this is the art that I’m meant to be making.
“What makes Too Much And Not Enough, Vol. 1 powerful is its dual role as personal diary and shared lifeline. Hooper writes for her younger self, for others navigating similar realities, and for those who may be hearing these experiences articulated for the first time. The result is a project that doesn’t just speak – it listens back, offering connection in a world that often overlooks the voices that need to be heard most.” (x)
Category: activism, anxiety, autism, body image, chronic pain, diagnosis, emotions, life lessons, mental health, music, ocd, special interests, writing Tagged: 52 hertz whale, agents of shield, album artwork, alt pop, alt pop artist, altpop, altpop artist, armour, asd, autism, autism spectrum disorder, autistic artist, autistic joy, autistic photographer, autistic singer, autistic singersongwriter, autistic songwriter, backing vocals, caylan hays, collaboration, cover art, cowriting, creative process, daisy johnson, ep artwork, ep reviews, eye contact, eye to eye, in the mourning, independent artist, indie artist, indie pop, indie pop artist, josh fielden, last one standing, lauren alex hooper, live drums, luce, lukeistired, marketing, masking, mastering, mixing, music production, new ep, new music, new music uk, new single, overexposed, photoshoot, production, production process, promotion, recording, recording session, recording sessions, recording studio, richard marc, richard marc music, richard sanderson, sensory issues, sensory overwhelm, sensory processing, sensory sensitivities, sensory sensitivity, songwriting, songwriting inspiration, songwriting process, special interest, special interests, sprogglet studios, the loneliest whale, thomas oscar miles, too much and not enough, too much and not enough vol 1, unmasking, unsigned artist, visuals, vocals, write this out

Hi! I’m Lauren Alex Hooper. Welcome to my little blog! I write about living with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, OCD, CPTSD, depression, and anxiety, as well as other health issues including hEDS and POTS.
I’m an alt-pop singer-songwriter (it’s my biggest special interest and I have both a BA and MA in songwriting) and my most recent EP, Too Much And Not Enough, Vol. 1, is available on all music platforms and is the first in the series of works based on my experiences as an autistic person.
Finding Hope