Angel Olsen

25.11.2013

ANGEL OLSEN ANNOUNCES FOREVER MEANS EP, OUT 14 APRIL ON JAGJAGUWAR

SHARES LYRIC VIDEO FOR LEAD SINGLE ‘NOTHING’S FREE’

RECENTLY ANNOUNCED FOR THIS YEAR’S END OF THE ROAD AND ALL POINTS EAST FESTIVALS

Watch the lyric video for ‘Nothing’s Free’ here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5srg8uNwUm0

Big Time, Angel Olsen’s stunning 2022 record, is “one big expanse, where the past and the future are knowable and deeply felt, fully enclosed in the moment” (Pitchfork). It brought Olsen to a deeper, truer sense of self than ever before, and was deemed one of the year’s best releases by the likes of Uncut (#4), The Independent (#8), Mojo, Pitchfork, The Line of Best Fit, The Vinyl Factory, The New York Times, and countless others. Olsen today announces Forever Means, her new EP out digitally and on vinyl April 14th on Jagjaguwar, and presents its lead single, ‘Nothing’s Free’. Forever Means collects songs from the Big Time sessions that hold a common theme: within the wisdom borne from the twin stars of grief and love comes the realisation that there is no finish line, no destination or static end point to life while you’re living it. Olsen says, “Forever is to remain curious, never letting yourself think you’re finished learning or exploring, while trying also to be kind and honest”.

EP opener ‘Nothing’s Free’ – which features prominent piano and organ from Drew Erickson, and saxophone from Dan Higgins – is a song that is, according to Olsen, “about that point when self-denial breaks, and you notice how long you’ve been restraining who you are”. On ‘Nothing’s Free’, Olsen exudes comfort with the costs of her clarity, her heart and voice fixed on the present, the future, the not-yet-known and the beautifully unknowable. “It felt really difficult to exclude it from Big Time“, she admits, “but it felt more soulful than the direction of that record, it was coming from a different place. For me, when I wrote it, I was coming to terms with my identity and sexuality. I was opening up in a new way”.

A thoughtful extension of the Big Time chapter, Forever Means holds space for ‘Nothing’s Free’ and its three companions. These four precious songs are, in Olsen’s words, “in search of something else”. Co-produced and mixed by Jonathan Wilson, these are songs from Olsen’s roads traveled and the one’s ahead. “I was somewhere traveling”, says Olsen, “stopped for a few days and wandering the city, and I was thinking ‘what does forever really mean? What are the things I’m seeking in friendship or love, and how can forever be attainable if we’re always changing?’” Sitting with the reality of that entropy, Olsen realised “maybe the secret to ongoing love is to embrace change as part of love itself”.

Surrounding the release of Big Time, Angel Olsen appeared on the cover of Loud and Quiet, was profiled by The Guardian and graced television screens through performances on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Having recently wrapped a run of North American tour dates, Olsen is currently touring Australia, with full dates listed here and tickets on sale now. Angel was also recently announced for a prominent slot at this year’s End of the Road Festival as well as All Points East.

Pre-order Forever Means digitally and on vinyl here:
https://www.secretlystore.com/angel-olsen-forever-means

Photo credit: Luke Rogers

High-res images can be found here

‘Forever Means’ cover art

Praise for Big Time:

“Grief and light combine to potent effect”
4/5 Mojo ‘Album of the Month’

“Grief isn’t a constant. You can find yourself smiling even at the very worst moments in life: Big Time is proof”
5/5 ‘Album of the Week’ The I Paper

“Big Time is a rich, uplifting album that shakes off sorrow, having stared it squarely in the face”
5/5 The Independent

“Despite only being in her mid-thirties, Big Time sounds like the album of Olsen’s life”
5/5 The Telegraph

“The album as a whole is a strong argument for Olsen being her generation’s finest songwriter”
5/5 The Skinny

“A remarkable and intimate display of growth”
9/10 ‘Album of the Week’ The Line of Best Fit

“Haunting, heartbreaking and life-affirming, Angel Olsen’s songwriting talents soar to great heights”
4.5/5 DIY

“Some of the most affecting music she has ever recorded”
The New Statesman

“A true great songwriter of our age”
The Forty-Five

“Truth, turning points and a melodious calm”
8/10 Uncut

“Intimate, tragic and romantic, Big Time sees Olsen, whose music has always been incredibly raw and emotive, open her heart more than ever before”
8/10 ‘Album of the Week’ Loud and Quiet

“Big Time is a focused record that contains stunning examples of vulnerability, almost too exposed to watch”
8/10 Clash

“Olsen belongs in the Big Time”
4.5/5 The Sun

“Music can be consolation in the most troubled times, and Big Time is a silky balm”
4/5 The Observer

“It’s rhythms and textures […] are imbued with loss and the heady thrill of love”
4/5 The Sunday Times

“A vast emotional sweep that recalls the greats”
4/5 NME

“Her voice murmurs into the ear of this handsomely designed album’s significant other – the listener”
4/5 FT

“A reflective album that, though dealing with some heavy stuff, makes you feel good about the world”
4/5 The Times

“An album that confirms Angel Olsen as one of the foremost singer-songwriters of her generation”
4.5/5 MusicOMH

“A record that sticks with you and remains close for the times when you need it the most”
9.2 ‘Album of the Week’ Far Out

“Not only refreshingly approachable, but as compellingly layered as you would expect an Angel Olsen record to be”
4/5 Our Culture

“A profoundly moving mediation on loss, grief, and identity”
The Vinyl Factory

“Affirms Olsen as one of the most important songwriters of our times”
Secret Meeting

“2022 might just be another great year for Angel Olsen and frankly, every year spent with new Angel Olsen music is a year well spent”
For The Rabbits