Florist is the New York-based, Epoch-affiliated anti-folk band fronted by songwriter Emily Sprague. Their new EP, officially out this Friday via Double Double Whammy, is streaming below in its entirety.
The melodies on the five-song release are low-key and really, really lovely—but Sprague's lyrics emerge as the element worth obsessing over. On "Vacation," the EPs first and maybe best song, Sprague remembers a time when I used to ride rollercoasters with my dad/ when a swimming pool in a hotel room was a gift from God. Its sung in an everyperson's timbre over a rickety, unadorned backdrop, and it's reminiscent of Kacey Musgraves' list of accomplishments on the year's finest country song. The connection is not just because Musgraves swam in a hotel with a pool, but because of the songs' shared unapologetic earnestness; both vocalists have a world-weary outlook that's seemingly underscored by a fundamental, unshakeable optimism.
"Holdly examines things we hold dear, things that hold us, and things we hold ourselves to," Sprague told FADER over email. "Holdly remains calm all while realizing, living with, and wholly accepting the sad and beautiful life that every one of us experiences."
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Florist tour dates:
November 3 – Ithaca, NY @ House Show *
November 4 – Cleveland, OH @ TBA *
November 5 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Witch House *
November 6 – Chicago, IL @ Pinky Swear *
November 7 – St. Louis, MO @ Lemp *
November 8 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop *
November 9 – Nashville, TN @ TBA *
November 11 – Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves *
November 12 – Austin, TX @ TBA *
November 13 – New Orleans, LA @ Sisters In Christ *
November 15 – Savannah, GA @ TBA *
November 16 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade (Purgatory) *
November 17 – Athens, GA @ TBA *
November 18 – Durham, NC @ Duke Coffeehouse *
November 19 – Washington, DC @ TBA *
November 20 – Philadelphia, PA @ Everybody Hits *
* = with Hello Shark
