With 2021’s Planet (i) and 2020’s I Was Born Swimming (her third and fourth albums), Squirrel Flower’s Ella Williams has been quickly building impressive sonic palette. Songs like the sprawling “I’ll Go Running” from the former and “Red Shoulder” from the latter show an artist with a distinct dexterity on the guitar and a booming voice that ranges to morph into different emotional arcs. Now, today, Williams has announced the latest addition to her catalog and it fits into a different spectrum altogether.
Out on January 28th, the Planet EP is a compilation of self-recorded demos of songs that were part of the Planet (i) sessions but were left off. Along with the announcement, two of the songs from the EP are out today. One is a hazy, re-verb soaked cover of Björk’s 1997 track “Unravel,” presented with a video of abstract lava flows. The other is entitled “Ruby At Dawn” and strikes a similar melancholy chord, albeit in a totally different soundscape.
Williams shared some thoughts in a statement on Planet:
“I’ve always felt that the pieces and process and secrets behind a finished record are the most important parts. Most of these songs showcase my own production and exact vision, my first time in a long time releasing music that I’ve produced alone. Releasing this EP is an exercise in self trust and experimentation. Not all songs need to be precious and kept for the exact right time, not all recordings need to be perfect.”
Watch the video for “Unravel” and listen to “Ruby At Dawn” above, and find the Planet album art and tracklist below. Check out Squirrel Flower’s upcoming tour dates here.
1. “Open Wound”
2. “Your Love Is A Disaster”
3. “Unravel”
4. “Long Day’s Done”
5. “Sitting In Traffic”
6. “Ruby At Dawn”
7. “Live Wire”
The Planet EP is out 1/28/2022 via Polyvinyl. Pre-save it here.