Squirrel Flower shares video for new single ‘Alley Light’
SQUIRREL FLOWER SHARES VIDEO FOR NEW SINGLE ‘ALLEY LIGHT’
NEW ALBUM TOMORROW’S FIRE OUT 13 OCTOBER ON FULL TIME HOBBY (POLYVINYL IN THE US)
UK TOUR DATES IN NOVEMBER – INCLUDES PITCHFORK MUSIC FESTIVAL SHOW AT LONDON’S EARTH ALONGSIDE PORRIDGE RADIO, SORRY, WEDNESDAY AND MORE
“A brooding, existential soul-splurge to claustrophobically dense and boggy grunge dynamics”
The Sunday Times ‘Hottest Tracks’
“Two striking new songs, each exhibiting their own creative universe”
Clash
“Squirrel Flower has never let us down before and she isn’t going to start now”
For The Rabbits
“One of today’s most exceptional songwriters”
Still Listening
“With Williams herself at the Squirrel Flower production controls this time round, she has evolved into an even more gritty and determined creative beast. Here she unleashes the power within. Play it loud”
God Is In The TV ‘Tracks of the Week’
Watch the video for ‘Alley Light’:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GKMEwtplGM
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Website
Today, Squirrel Flower — the moniker of Chicago-based musician Ella Williams — presents her new single/video, ‘Alley Light’, from her forthcoming album, Tomorrow’s Fire, out 13 October on Full Time Hobby (Polyvinyl in the US). Williams cites artists like Bruce Springsteen as fonts of inspiration for Tomorrow’s Fire, musicians who knew how to write into the mind of a stranger, who could tell you the story of a life in under four minutes. Nowhere is this heard more clearly than on ‘Alley Light’, an electrifying song narrated from the perspective of a down-on-his-luck guy whose car is fated to die any day, and whose girl just wants to escape.
Despite its vintage sheen, ‘Alley Light’ captures the very familiar feelings of loss that come with living in a 21st-century city, where you blink and the storefronts change. The accompanying ‘Alley Light’ video is helmed by Weird Life Productions and features the artwork and studio of Gwen Yen Chiu.
Of the track, Williams adds:
“This song is about the man in me, or a man who I love, or a man who is a stranger to me. The video references a neo-noir Chicago heist movie where they use this thermal metal contraption to cut into a safe. They run around the city making sparks fly and getting up to no good. I wanted to do all that.”
While Williams’ early work was often hushed and minimal, there has always been a barely contained storm in her music. Tomorrow’s Fire is that storm breaking open, a record made to be played loud. Its double lead single ‘When A Plant Is Dying‘ / ‘Full Time Job‘ cemented this transition from acoustic tenderness to full-blown catharsis. Tomorrow’s Fire glides effortlessly over emotional states of being, lightness and heaviness, and cements Willaims’ status as one of indie rock’s finest songwriters.
Tomorrow’s Fire was produced by Williams herself at Drop of Sun Studios in Asheville alongside storied engineer Alex Farrar (Wednesday, Indigo de Souza, Snail Mail), and a studio band composed of Matt McCaughan (Bon Iver), Seth Kauffman (Angel Olsen band), Jake Lenderman (MJ Lenderman, Wednesday), and Dave Hartley (The War on Drugs). Its title references that of a novel Williams’ great-grandfather Jay wrote about a troubadour, named for a line by the Medieval French poet Rutebeuf, a troubadour himself: “Tomorrow’s hopes provide my dinner/ Tomorrow’s fire must warm tonight”. Centuries on, the quote spoke to Williams, who describes the fire as a tool to wield in the face of nihilism. Tomorrow’s Fire is what we take solace in, what we know will make us feel okay in the morning, how we light the path we’re walking on.
Photo credit: Alexa VisciusPre-order Tomorrow’s Fire here:
https://squirrelflower.bandcamp.com/album/tomorrow-s-fire
High-res images can be found here
UK Tour dates:
4 Nov – Bristol @ Rough Trade
5 Nov – Brighton @ The Hope and Ruin
6 Nov – Leeds @ Brudenell Social Club
7 Nov – Manchester @ Gullivers
9 Nov – Edinburgh @ Voodoo Rooms
11 Nov – London @ EartH, Pitchfork Music Festival – TICKETS
13 Nov – Paris, FR @ Supersonic
15 Nov – Rotterdam, NL @ V11
16 Nov – Brussels, BE @ Botanique
18 Nov – Berlin, DE @ Lark
Full dates and tickets are available here:
https://www.squirrelflower.net/#tour
Praise for Planet (i):
“Through floods, tornadoes and burning cars – [Squirrel Flower] firmly places us within that world right alongside her”
5/5 The Skinny
“Stunning”
9/10 Clash
“Planet (i) is a kindred spirit, a compelling force you’re drawn to listen to over and over again”
8/10 The Line of Best Fit
“Dark, evocative and minor-key rich”
8/10 Uncut
“Richly allegorical, sonically parched and squally”
The Sunday Times
“On [Planet (i)], the road is a space of intimacy and disaster. Her vivid songwriting and bright, searching voice bring both sides to life”
Pitchfork
“Feels more and reaches further”
4/5 Dork
“Planet (i) is beautifully poised”
9/10 God Is In The TV
“A grunge-folk intoxicant that comes in at under three minutes but will stick with you for hours”
The Guardian ‘Track of the Week’
“Undoubtedly Squirrel Flower’s finest work yet, Planet (i) might just be my favourite record of 2021″
Secret Meeting
“Penetrating these bleak times with her powerful voice and uncompromising honesty”
77% Beats Per Minute
“Her presence as a vocalist and songwriter remains singularly electrifying”
Our Culture
“The world is burning and Squirrel Flower is writing a love letter to the fire, who knew the apocalypse would sound this good?”
For The Rabbits
“While landscapes fall apart and fissure, Williams’ voice feels consistently near”
Still Listening
“Lush, hazy folk”
The New Cue
“Another set of songs that perfectly cradle this rare voice”
Joyzine