Rating: 5.5/10
I Was Born Swimming is Squirrel Flower’s recently released debut album. Singer-songwriter Ella O’Connor Williams takes the listener on a journey both emotional and satisfying. The songs in this album are varied in tone and in intensity. Soft, ethereal vocals resonate in each song. This is accompanied by guitar lines that vary from light and melodic to powerful and driving. The album includes songs that are soft, dreamily acoustic indie rock, with forays into a heavier sound with strong bass, electric guitar, and rhythmic drums more akin to classic rock.
Lyrically, I Was Born Swimming reads like emotionally charged poetry. Slapback, for instance, reads like powerfully poignant slam poetry. Intense guitar charges this song with a classic rock sound that fits perfectly. Streetlight Blues is an electric guitar-driven ode to solitude. It’s simple lyrically, with complimentary bass and drums that produce a satisfyingly nostalgic rock sound. With two minutes of drifting acoustic instrumental guitar, Seasonal Affective Disorder is arguably the most relaxing song on the album. Squirrel Flower adds her dreamlike vocals towards the end of the song, giving it an incredibly satisfying lullaby feel. Home has a similar feel about it; soft, sweet, and surprisingly melancholic for a love song.
The album does show that Squirrel Flower has the potential to create powerful and moving music. However, I feel like this album also shows that she has a lot to learn. Many of the songs, I-80, for instance, felt as if they didn’t come to a strong conclusion, leaving no release to the tension of the music. Additionally, there wasn’t much variety to be had instrumentally. Most songs were either soft and acoustic or louder rock, without much more than a guitar. This shows she has yet to experiment with other styles, but this could be remedied in future albums.
Also during I-80, she starts by singing “I tried to be lyrical, but lyrics failed me.” I feel like this holds true for many of her songs. While the lyrics are oftentimes beautifully poetic, they aren’t noteworthy or exceptionally profound. There’s sometimes also a disconnect between the lyrics and music, as if they don’t quite fit perfectly. None of the choruses on this album are catchy or memorable. Some songs, like Belly of the City, lack a chorus entirely. This is a bold choice that I think misses its mark, leaving these tracks empty where it feels like their heart and soul should be. Likewise, Born Swimming (not to be confused with the album’s title) is a soft and poetic track missing a chorus. It has the potential to be profound and thought provoking, but falls short without any meat in its middle.
Overall, Squirrel Flower has given life to a beautiful and poetic album. At its worst, it is angsty and disconnected. But at its best, I Was Born Swimming is wistful, pensive, and refreshing. Her vocals are angelic, countered with strong guitar riffs that produce a unique and impactful combination. The album evokes strong bittersweet feelings in the listener, with tracks that move gradually from dreamlike, to fiery, to heart wrenching. Squirrel Flower proves in this album that she is a powerful young soul with the potential to move us all.
Top Tracks: Seasonal Affective Disorder, Home, Eight Minutes, Slapback
I Was Born Swimming is streaming everywhere now.
