If It's Too Loud...

I Was Born Swimming is a masterpiece of an album. Squirrel Flower (aka Ella Williams) hits so many of my checklists for great songs. False stops, tonal changes, slow builds from quiet, thoughtful songs into giant epics... it's all here. "I-80" starts off the album and feels like it could be multiple songs. Squirrel Flower combines modern folk and singer/songwriter elements with 90's style indie rock in ways that we've heard before from artists like Lucy Dacus, but is going off in her own direction and style with these songs. "Red Shoulder" is a great indication if you're going to love this album or not. It starts off with Williams' quiet, plaintive vocals and builds into this noisy rocker with her voice keeping the same tone throughout. And then there is "Streetlight Blues," which is my top song of 2020 according to Spotify. It crams an absolute epic, giant song into just over three minutes and thirty seconds.  Songs of note: "Red ...

Photo by Ally Schmaling We've been impatiently waiting for Ella O'Connor Williams's (aka Squirrel Flower) debut album since the first single back in October. Now that we're two weeks away from its release we have a third single, "Streetlight Blues." Squirrel Flower's music is typically described as ethereal, and yes, "Streetlight Blues" does qualify as ethereal. But it also has these killer crunchy alt-rock guitars that don't typically get considered ethereal. Her voice mixed with this harder edged guitar creates this unexpected dichotomy that truly makes this song special. Squirrel Flower explains the song: " " I wrote this song because I was overcome by the image of insects flying towards streetlights and bug lamps in the late summer, attracted to the light but also flying to their death .  This song is angsty. It's partly about blowing off your friends to dance alone in waves of emotion, partly about the end of somethin...

Photo by Ally Schmaling Next month's debut album from Squirrel Flower (aka Ella O'Connor Williams) is quickly becoming one of our most anticipated of 2020. The latest single from the album, "Headlights," is a quiet, gorgeous, ethereal song. It's as lush as it is minimal, creating a captivating sound that just draws you in and demands your attention. Squirrel Flower says of "Headlights":  "’Headlights’ takes place in a moment of solitary reflection; a glance back and a glance forward. I wrote it on tour driving through the pioneer valley in Massachusetts in some heavy fog. Suddenly I was aware of the space the car was plummeting through, both physical and temporal." You can watch the video for "Headlights" below. I Was Born Swimming , the debut album from Squirrel Flower, will be out January 31 on Polyvinyl. You can pre-order a copy here . For more on Squirrel Flower, check out her website . Current tour dates are below the vid...

Photo by Ally Schmaling Squirrel Flower has been Ella O'Connor Williams's moniker since childhood. She was a member of the Boston Children's Chorus, and spent time in the Boston DIY folk scene. Her new song, "Red Shoulder," starts out as an ethereal folk song. It's beautiful, and haunting... and then it changes. These loud punk/country guitars kick in seemingly out of nowhere, even though they were hinted at all along.  “‘Red Shoulder’ is a song about destabilization and dissociation,” explains Williams. “Something soft and tender becomes warped and sinister, turning into sensory overload and confusion. How can something so lovely turn painful and claustrophobic? The song ends with a heavy and visceral guitar solo, attempting to reground what went awry." You can watch the video for "Red Shoulder" below. I Was Born Swimming , the debut album from Squirrel Flower, will be out January 31 on Polyvinyl. You can pre-order the album here . For mo...