Squirrel Flower
Under the name Squirrel Flower, Boston-bred singer/songwriter Ella O’Connor Williams writes haunting, melancholic indie rock songs that combine lushly textured electric guitar work with her rich and powerful voice. After a pair of independent releases, she made her label debut in 2020 with I Was Born Swimming. Her follow-up, the disaster-themed Planet (i), appeared a year later. Released in late 2023, Squirrel Flower's next album, Tomorrow's Fire, was more overtly rock-driven with grungy textures and an organic full-band sound.
Growing up in Boston, Williams' childhood was steeped in music; her father worked as a touring jazz musician while her classically trained grandparents lived in an artist co-op in upstate New York. Her talents emerged early, and she sang in the Boston Children's Chorus and learned guitar and music theory before immersing herself in the city's D.I.Y. scene during her teenage years. Williams' Squirrel Flower alias was something she'd had since her childhood days, and when she later began to release her first official solo recordings, she took it on as her stage name. Recording while attending college in Iowa, she issued the eight-song Early Winter Songs from Middle America, a stark and poignant set consisting largely of just vocals and her ethereal electric guitar playing. She gained more widespread notice the following year with another similarly lonesome eight-song set, Contact Sports, which helped her earn a contract with Midwestern indie Polyvinyl Records. Heading to New York City, she worked with producer Gabe Wax (Adrianne Lenker, Palehound) to create a fuller, though still spacious sound on her full-length debut, I Was Born Swimming, which Polyvinyl released in January 2020. Later that year, Williams traveled to England to record her follow-up with Bristol-based producer Ali Chant (Perfume Genius, PJ Harvey). Released in June 2021, Planet (i) bore a dramatic, almost apocalyptic sound with themes of disaster and distress. For her next project, Williams worked with Alex Farrar (Wednesday, Snail Mail) in Asheville, North Carolina. Leaving behind any traces of folk music, she recorded an album rooted in punchy, fuzzed-out indie rock. Borrowing its title from a novel written by her great-great grandfather, Tomorrow's Fire was released in October 2023.
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Discography
11 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Tomorrow's Fire
Alternative & Indie - Released by Full Time Hobby on 13 Oct 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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I Was Born Swimming
Rock - Released by Full Time Hobby on 31 Jan 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Full Time Job / When a Plant Is Dying
Alternative & Indie - Released by Full Time Hobby on 18 Jul 2023
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
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Your Love
Alternative & Indie - Released by Full Time Hobby on 18 Jan 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Squirrel Flower | Audiotree Far Out
Alternative & Indie - Released by Audiotree Music on 13 Sep 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Explain It to Me / Chicago
Rock - Released by Full Time Hobby on 13 Oct 2020
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Intheskatepark
Alternative & Indie - Released by Full Time Hobby on 21 Sep 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Take It or Leave It / So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings
Folk - Released by Full Time Hobby on 5 May 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo