“I just want music in my life / I just want us to sing along” declares songwriter Emily Sprague on “This Was A Gift,” the new single released today from New York’s minimalist folk quartet Florist. Band members Emily Sprague, Jonnie Baker, Felix Walworth, and Rick Spataro have been collaborating for nearly 15 years, and their familial chemistry cuts a unique path through the dense forests of personal exploration. Where 2019’s Emily Alone looked inward at solitude, and 2022’s self-titled album Florist explored friendship and nature’s found sounds, the band’s new music celebrates the power of human connection through the macro lens of humanity, and the micro lens of intimate relationships.
A testament to their connection and singularity, Florist always respect the universe and its role in their music. “We don’t enter our collaboration environment trying to leave our personal stuff at the door. We always bring it in and we struggle and thrive while trying to swim through it,” Sprague recalls. “This Was A Gift” finds Sprague’s reflections in the push and pull of Walworth’s delicate off-kilter percussion and Baker’s roving guitar phrases. Its artwork and lyrics examine how queer identities can feel otherworldly among the status quo, highlighting the importance of chosen family and the bonding of souls. The song faces eternity with a grounded and gentle confidence, as Sprague repeats, “I’m your guy, until I die.”
Florist have also announced fall tour dates that include a run in Australia, a residency in Ridgewood, NY’s Cassette and headline dates that go through the end of November.
TOUR DATES:
- 10/9 - Melbourne, AUS @ The Curtin
- 10/11 - Sydney, AUS @ Phoenix Central Park
- 10/12 - Brisbane, AUS @ Season Three
- 10/13 - Brisbane, AUS @ Season Three
- 11/10 - Queens, NY @ Cassette
- 11/11 - Queens, NY @ Cassette ^
- 11/12 - Queens, NY @ Cassette &
- 11/13 - Queens, NY @ Cassette #
- 11/15 - Burlington, VT @ The Monkey House
- 11/16 - Portland, ME @ SPACE Gallery %
- 11/17 - Brattleboro, VT @ The Stone Church
- 11/18 - Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom *
- 11/19 - Providence, RI @ Lost Bag *
- 11/21 - Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar *
- 11/22 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Bottlerocket Social Hall
- 11/23 - Lakewood, OH @ Mahall’s *
- 11/24 - Buffalo, NY @ 9th Ward at Babeville *
^ w/ H. Pruz
& w/ Alena Spanger
# w/ Bobbie
% w/ Mariee Siou
* w/ Allegra Krieger