Emily Sprague of Florist writes about the big moments in life as if they are small—but never as if they’re insignificant. She gives an honest and vulnerable voice to heartbreak, loneliness, and loss. Sprague has long written songs that boil some of the most difficult things into digestible forms, but in no way diminishes them. She captures the essence of things in such a way that the essence is all you need.
Emily Alone is the third album released by the band Florist, but it is Sprague’s solo record. Full of introspection and self-reflexivity, Emily Alone grapples with the death of a parent, a move across the country, and the loneliness that comes with each of those things. With the opening lyrics of the record, Sprague sings, “I could have words or I could have solitude / Silent but falling, what is my place in this world?”, laying bare the searching at the core of Emily Alone. In hushed tones and light, but rich, soundscapes Florist weaves a quietly devastating portrait. Maybe of herself, maybe a version of herself, maybe of something else entirely—all cast in the turmoil of loss and light of self-reckoning.
With warm folk-tinged tracks, stream of consciousness spoken word, and intimate lyrics filled with refrains, allusions to water, and a search for grounding, Emily Alone becomes itself. It feels like a salve for a healing wound—no longer painful in the way in once was, but now an itch that cannot be scratched for fear of tearing it back open. It settles in the discomfort, embracing the hardship of healing and growing alone.
Listen to Emily Alone on Spotify:
