I Was Born Swimming, by Squirrel Flower

I Was Born Swimming

by Squirrel Flower

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Kirk Gauthier Absolutely brilliant, dreamy indie folk-rock. Most of the songs are somewhere between two and three minutes but feel as though they last a lifetime (in a good way). Beautifully heart-wrenching from beginning to end. Favorite track: Home.

jayjoni makes me feel so nostalgic; really captures that dreamy midwest feeling Favorite track: Seasonal Affective Disorder.

kira66 Amazing debut. It takes me where I need to be. Definitely looking forward to more
Edit: it turns out this isn’t a debut but it’s still amazing nonetheless Favorite track: Eight Hours.

Hugh Manning stunning indie rock Favorite track: Red Shoulder.

mainenp very moving, beautiful, dreamy. thank you xoxoxo Favorite track: Red Shoulder.

more...

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vinyl record of I Was Born Swimming! rust+blue, beautiful art and design by ruby rose, nicole fox, and janelle abad. cover photo by ally schmaling

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blue water t shirt
T-Shirt/Apparel
black t shirt with blue water design on the back and "squirrel flower" on the front
illustrator: Ruby Rose

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LONG SLEEVE with sick arm designs
T-Shirt/Apparel
BRAND: Comfort Colors
SHIRT COLOR: Ivory
INK COLORS: Fuchsia, Seafoam, and Teal
FIT: Unisex

Illustrator Ruby Rose
rubyrose.work

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AMAZING hat
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BRAND: Comfort Colors Pigment-Dyed Canvas Baseball Cap
HAT COLOR: Brick
THREAD COLORS: Maroon

Illustrator Ruby Rose
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UV Sunglasses!! cat eye orange and white ;)
White frames with orange lenses. UV protecting and polarized !! with "squirrel flower" on the side

Illustrator Ruby Rose
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1.	I-80 02:40	lyrics	buy track
I tried to be lyrical, but lyrics failed me So I gave up poetry and ran west on I-80. The birds were watching from above As I flew on, too And gave it all up And gave up on love. I tried to be my best to you I tried my hardest But I couldn’t keep it down I had to keep going. The summer slipped in slow As I burned too And from that fire Found something new. Turn away, Fly away.
2.	Red Shoulder 03:14	lyrics	buy track
You call me over Red on your shoulder Soft to the touch I reach back and fall down. Take it harder Feeling more I don’t know what it is or isn’t Anymore. You’re one for healing But I’m still reeling From your last call.
3.	Slapback 02:45	lyrics	buy track
I don’t know what I could do if not this And I think of you all the way back. You could tell me that my smile is diamonds And then you could take it all back. I don’t know what I could do if not this And I think of you all the way back. You could tell me that my body is sacred And then you could take it all back And then you could take it all back. Good thing my body is for my eyes only I own it and I will attack. Good thing my smile is part of my body I own it and I will attack. You don’t care what my answer is But if you slap me I’ll slap you right back. You’re not one to think of things like that No, you’re not one to think of things like that So, I’ll be quiet I’ll be gentle And I’ll call you right back.
4.	Eight Hours 02:29	lyrics	buy track
Hot and sweaty Feeling heavy I’m not ready; Work eight hours then come home to you. Cruise the turnpike That’s what I like There’s that lightning On water that makes me feel new.
5.	Headlights 02:34	lyrics	buy track
Driving through A wooded valley West of state. Mist thrown at the car In shrouded pockets Ghostly and cool. Realize I’m not getting older But I’m not getting younger. Headlights look different When I’m looking over my shoulder. Mountain mystery A love at home, a love within. It makes me wonder But why would I even go there? I gotta say goodbye I gotta get going Nothing really feels right And I fear it might be showing. Realize I’m not getting older But I’m not getting younger. Headlights look different When I’m looking over my shoulder. Headlights look different When I’m looking…
6.	Honey, Oh Honey! 01:13	lyrics	buy track
Honey, oh honey! So sticky and runny Don’t take my honey away. Honey, oh honey I love you when it’s sunny And I love you when the sun goes away. Honey, oh honey! A little too funny A little too sweet for me today. Honey, oh honey A little too runny I need to run and chase my dreams away! I need to run and chase my dreams away!
7.	Seasonal Affective Disorder 03:39	lyrics	buy track
When the moon hits the ground When the fog rolls in, I’ll be feeling fine again. When the birds fly away When the corn is green, I’ll be squishing the mud Underneath my feet.
8.	Home 03:24	lyrics	buy track
You take You take me back home And carry me inside When I’ve fallen asleep on the road. You pull You pull me out of bed in the morning Make sure I have my coat Make sure I’ve got my shoes tied up. You leave You leave me hanging You know what I want But I know you’re tied up. You take You take me back home And carry me inside When I’ve fallen asleep on the road.
9.	Streetlight Blues 03:35	lyrics	buy track
Bugs in the streetlight Our time is over soon Don’t say that you love me then make other plans. All my friends are at the party But I got other plans My body is buzzing as I start to dance. We’re a streetlight buzzing, about to go out. Bugs in the streetlight Our time is over soon.
10.	Rush 03:05	lyrics	buy track
Wake up on the wrong side Keep it going all night I want you so bad The thought alone makes me lose it. Be tender, please don’t compare Don’t be hard on me ‘Cause I’m lying all the time Keep it to myself this time. What will you do when the dust settles, The shine fades, The rush chills out?
11.	Belly of the City 04:46	lyrics	buy track
Belly of the city, Hear me breathe on my way home. Midnight workers, I know the darkness of these roads as well as you do. I’ve never worshipped another But I find myself kneeling before you. Belly of the city, Here me breathe on my way home.
12.	I Was Born Swimming 01:35	lyrics	buy track
Born swimming in blue water, Didn’t ever need another, Now I live underwater. Heat’s rising Can you see it shimmer? I’m spinning Can you see me shimmer? I’m moving faster than it Can you see me shimmer? So dip me in the water.

about

Squirrel Flower - the moniker of Ella O’Connor Williams - announces I Was Born Swimming, her debut album, out January 31st on Full Time Hobby (Polyvinyl in the US), and presents the lead single/video, ‘Red Shoulder’. The album’s title was inspired by Williams’ birth on August 11th 1996 - the hottest day of the year - born still inside a translucent caul sac membrane, surrounded by amniotic fluid. Throughout the 12 songs, landscapes change and relationships shift. The album’s lyrics feel like effortless expressions of exactly the way it feels to change — abstract, determined and hopeful.

Squirrel Flower’s music is ethereal and warm, brimming over with emotional depth but with a steely eyed bite and confidence in it’s destination. The band on I Was Born Swimming plays with delicate intention, keeping the arrangements natural and light while Williams’ lead guitar is often fiercely untethered. The album was tracked live, with few overdubs, at The Rare Book Room Studio in New York City with producer Gabe Wax (Adrienne Lenker, Palehound, Cass McCombs). The musicians were selected by Wax and folded themselves into the songs effortlessly. At the heart of the album lives Williams’ haunting voice and melancholic, soulful guitar.

The sounds expand and contract over diverse moods, cutting loose on the heavier riffs of ‘Red Shoulder’. “‘Red Shoulder’ is a song about destabilisation 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.”

Williams comes from a deep-rooted musical family tree. Her grandparents were classical musicians who lived in the Gate Hill Co-op, an artistic cooperative from upstate New York that grew out of Black Mountain College. Ella’s father, Jesse Williams, spent most of his life as a touring jazz and blues performer and educator, and lends his bass playing to the album. Growing up in a family of hard working musicians fostered a love of music and started Williams down her own musical path. As a child, Williams adopted the alter ego of Squirrel Flower. A couple years later, she began singing with the Boston Children’s Chorus while studying music theory and teaching herself to play the guitar. As a teen, she discovered the Boston DIY and folk music scenes and began writing, recording, and performing her own songs, now returning to Squirrel Flower as her stage name.

Sheer determination and belief quickly saw her make a name for herself in this newly discovered scene. Doing everything from making videos to the production of her music herself she recorded two EP’s and began touring, supporting the likes of Soccer Mommy and Adrienne Lenker (Big Thief). During this time the signature artful songcraft heard on I Was Born Swimming was formed.

credits

released January 31, 2020

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about

Squirrel Flower Chicago, Illinois

management: mac@brilliantcorners.com

north america booking: wilson@highroadtouring.com

uk/eu booking: will@atc-live.com

photo by tonje thilesen

shows

Jun 26

Metro

Chicago, IL

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