by Andrew Ciardella (@worstsumo)
I was first exposed to Squirrel Flower’s 2020 debut LP I Was Born Swimming through YouTube recommendations, a music discovery tool that has become pretty dominant these past few years. Say what you want about the way the algorithm works, but I was instantly struck by the album cover. It features Squirrel Flower’s mastermind Ella Williams posing powerfully and radiating a golden hue, perfectly contrasting with a watery turquoise background. If any record was to be the next heart-breaking, slow burning indie rock dreamscape, it would be this one, and that’s basically what the record delivered. It didn’t stray far from William’s earlier EPs, but offered a more well rounded development. It resonated harder, with subtly anxious moments reaching out every so often.
Planet (i) swiftly follows this debut, and offers an even further improvement in voice, production, and style. From the first track, “I’ll Go Running” we can see this clearly. Although the debut had its fair share of dynamic build-ups, this track uses it to a great emotional effect. With every chorus, the song changes shape, all culminating into a final chorus that breaks off all instrumentation except for minimal drums, near silent guitar, and intimate vocals repeating, “I’ll be newer than before”. This sweet and sour songwriting style is what defines Squirrel Flower, but its full power is used on this opener.
From here we have “Hurt A Fly,” which served as the record’s first single and for good reason. It perfectly set the sonic direction for this record, which was grittier, dustier, and scorched with fuzzy instrumentation like the lava-like red and orange glaze of the album cover suggests. Twangy guitars poke through the verses of this track as a clanging piano and a banjo take turns making appearances. The rhythm section remains steady but is made much more colorful by this added instrumentation.
This song also introduces a recurring theme in this record: driving. Most of the tracks here mention cars, oil tanks, flat tires, and the like in their lyrics. This paints a picture that these emotions feel like the long haul of an endless road trip through the desert. Sweltering heat, broken down engines, and staring out the window to an endlessly liberating horizon conjures up feelings of anxiousness, exhaustion, and longing. This comparison flips a certain switch, making it Squirrel Flower’s strongest album thematically. This theme is reinforced by the instrumentation, the character of which makes the album unique.
Other major musical highlights include “Roadkill,” which has one of the most catchy and gratifying choruses of the record. The verses stay hushed so when the refrain hits, it absolutely soars. Another is “To Be Forgotten,” which is similarly beautifully structured. The thumping toms and snare provide a great groove which sits snugly underneath cleanly strummed electric guitar, ambient synthesizers, and a smooth vocal performance. Although these are some of the more elaborately produced tracks, some of the more stripped back tunes like “Iowa 146” and “Starshine” still carry an immense amount of weight. The vocals are pushed to the front and feel more down to earth than even before.
In the end, Plant (i) is Squirrel Flower’s strongest statement to date. The reoccurring lyrical themes, the diverse yet consistently focused sonic palette, and some of the most well written songs in the Squirrel Flower catalogue proves this point. It’s surprising to see an artist follow-up on a debut so quickly, but rewarding because it seems like they have a lot to say.