The Ella Williams-fronted band Squirrel Flower shared a third single from their new album Tomorrow’s Fire, titled “Alley Light.” The track was released on Aug. 22nd via Polyvinyl Records with a music video directed by Chicago-based group Weird Life Films.
“Alley Light” is a smooth, pretty rock song laden with sad, lovesick, and regretful undertones. Williams sings from the perspective of a “down-on-his-luck guy” on the verge of losing a lover to someone else. Her early verse perfectly represents the track’s unsteady feeling using the scenario of an unreliable ride; “She says she wants to go far / Outta town in my beat up car / Will she find another man who can take her there / When my drive burns out?”
The track’s arrangement is based around a prominent electric guitar tone, without much sparkle or special effects. The straight-forward production from Williams and engineer Alex Farrar lets the composition’s organic emotion speak for itself. Despite an absence on “Alley Light,” multiple tracks on the new Squirrel Flower album feature guitar work from Jake Lenderman of Wednesday (and recent solo fame as MJ Lenderman). The rest of the studio band is rounded out by bassist Dave Hartley, percussionist Matt McCaughan, and multi-instrumentalist Seth Kauffman.
To promote Tomorrow’s Fire, Squirrel Flower will embark on a large tour with multiple legs continuing through the fall and into the new year. The band will appear at Ukie Club on Oct. 27th; tickets are now available and can be found on our Concerts and Events calendar. New single “Alley Light” is out now on all streaming platforms, and the album Tomorrow’s Fire will be available on Oct. 13th.