May 26, 2021 | 4:03pm ET
Squirrel Flower has shared the new song “Flames and Flat Tires”. It’s the latest preview of her upcoming album Planet (i), which drops June 25th on Polyvinyl Records.
Here, the artist born Ella Williams compares her body to a car that’s coming apart, with the fiery blowouts of the title representing a commitment to personal growth at any cost. “This car won’t drive the way I want,” she says in the opening lines, “Busted engine or busted lung.” The song begins with a ruminative bass, and as the imagery grows more violent, the track swells with propulsive percussion and layers of guitars. She sings: “Firestorms busted both my headlights/ But I’m getting back on track soon enough/ And you better watch out for me!”
In a statement, the Boston indie rocker talked about writing the song in England, explaining,
“I wrote ‘Flames & Flat Tires’ on my second day of quarantine in Bristol, England ahead of recording. It was late August, hot, I was staying in a place that opened onto a party street, and every night I stayed up listening to the sounds of the revelers and the birds squawking and screaming until 6am, then all day watched people hanging laundry in their backyards through my kitchen window. This was one of those tunes that just falls out.”
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The song comes with a music video directed by Lua Borges. “This video is encased by the imagery of broken parts and abandonment,” he said. “Objects that have become useless. Physical matter that looks so small inside our world. It gives life to an internal feeling of self-doubt and uncertainty, which the song approaches so intently.” Check out “Flames and Flat Tires” below.
Pre-orders for Planet (i) are currently ongoing. Previously, Squirrel Flower shared the singles “Hurt a Fly” and “I’ll Go Running”. In September, she’ll hit the road opening for Soccer Mommy.