Please Use Your Indoor Voices at Florist This Friday

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florist-featured-image

Author: Megan Karangutkar

Living on the ground floor of an apartment building means that I can hear every noise outside at practically full volume. In just a few weeks, I have heard a couple breaking up, a man banging on my window, and multiple lengthy conversations at 2:00 am. Sometimes, this is fun. Usually, it is not. And so, I have been drowning out the dummies by escaping into the soft, dreamy sounds of Florist.

Florist is the New York-based “friendship project” of Emily Sprague, Rick Spataro, and Jonnie Baker. The band produces gentle bedroom pop filled with ambient synthesizers and finger-picked guitars. They sound like an Agnes Martin painting in the form of music, exuding the calm and stability that an anxious fool like me could only dream of.

Photo courtesy of Double Double Whammy

The first song I heard by Florist was “Vacation,” an immediately nostalgic track that captures the peace of childhood. The line, “when a swimming pool in a hotel room was a gift from God,” is strikingly simple reminder of the way that the little things could excite us beyond belief as kids. It’s a beautiful song that drove me to dive deeper into Florist’s catalogue.

The rest of the band’s discography is equally impressive in its lyrical and sonic landscapes. Much of Florist’s lyricism is rooted in nature, as in the track, “What I Wanted to Hold,” where Sprague repeats the line, “the air is light blue today” over a gentle synth swell. Moments like these showcase the group’s unique ability to find vulnerability and hope in everyday subject matter. Other songs like “I Was” or “Blue Mountain Road” are quietly powerful, allowing listeners to find comfort in confessional lyrics and warm synths. If your meditation app doesn’t seem to quell your existential dread anymore, worry not because Florist are here to help.

Be sure to see Florist at the Auditorium at UHeights on November 16th at 8:30 pm. Head out early to catch Seattle-based lo-fi artists Chanel Beads and Pickle Boy. The show is all ages and tickets are available here.

Photo courtesy of Abbey Arts

Check out Florist on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.


MEGAN KARANGUTKAR | everyone be quiet pls | KXSU Music Reporter

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