Willow shares whimsical new single ‘Big Feelings’ and announces album ‘Empathogen’

Willow has announced the release of her new album ‘Empathogen’, featuring a second single ‘Big Feelings’ which she describes as a song about “accepting those intense feelings that you have no idea what to do with”. ‘Empathogen’, the American singer’s sixth studio album, is set for release on May 3 and will feature collaborations with Jon Batiste on ‘Home’ and St. Vincent on ‘Pain For Fun’.

The accompanying visualizer to her latest single, which was directed by Willow herself, sees the artist standing against a black background with a green and yellow circle. Throughout the video, Willow is seen wearing a light blue blazer, geometric braids and a gold grill. Speaking about “Big Feelings” Willow said: “The piano part of this song is so dense and dissonant but also darkly beautiful. I wrote ‘b i g f e e l i n g s’ during a week where I was coming to terms with my own emotional patterns that I hadn’t known were there. Musically, it has a darkness and complexity that reflects what we all experience in our own minds.”

Willow’s last album, the 2022 release ‘COPINGMECHANISM’, was reviewed by NME, who praised her choice of quality over quantity: “over a relatively small number of tracks compared to some of the bloated albums that get released today, WILLOW has opted for quality over quantity once again. However, despite utilising a similar premise as on her last album by plucking her feelings away on a guitar, ‘’ is still an important record in her musical progression. In the poetic and thoughtful nature of it, as well as the odd glimpse of where she could go next, WILLOW’s fifth record should be noted as her breaking sonically mature new ground.”

With the release of ‘Empathogen’, it is clear that Willow continues to push boundaries sonically. Her collaboration with St. Vincent leads many fans to believe that the artist is moving into new territory with her music, as the pair come together to experiment with sounds and styles. As well as looking forward to the new album release and collaborations, fans can also expect to see Willow live on stage soon, with performance slots at Reading and Leeds festivals later in the year.

Recommended:
‘Empathogen’ track list is:
‘Home (feat. Jon Batiste)’
‘Ancient Girl’
‘Symptom of Life’
‘The Fear Is Not Real’
‘False Self’
‘Pain For Fun (feat. St. Vincent)’
‘No Words 1 & 2’
‘Down’
‘Run!’
‘Between I and She’
‘I Know That Face’
‘B I G F E E L I N G S’

Read the full article on NME here: Read More