- 2023-01-17
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MUSIC
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Donate to support families affected by the crisis in Ukraine ➔ WILDES Releases Debut Album “Other Words Fail Me”: Streaming
London-based singer-songwriter Ella Walker, aka WILDES released her highly-anticipated debut album “Other Words Fail Me” on January 13, 2023.
The album comprises 10-track, featuring guest appearances from The Flaming Lips and Laura McFadden.
Ella Walker explained of the album title, "It was a name I'd had for quite a while in my head, but the album really grew into the name - it became a lot more symbolic than I ever intended, as writing this album was the only way I could safely and honestly talk about what was going on at the time. I quite literally didn't have any other words to describe it other than the lyrics in these songs."
She had written in excess of 40 songs during the lockdown, trying to find peace with a traumatic experience that forms the spinal cord of the record.
The lockdown presented the perfect opportunity for her to safely detach herself from her partner, diarising emotions she'd never dared confront before.
“I was in an emotionally abusive relationship for five years with a really controlling partner,” she said. “I was scared to break up with him because our lives were so completely intertwined. He made me feel like I couldn't function without him.”- Ella Walker shared on social media, “I've been waiting for this day from before I even realised I was waiting for it… but it's not just the day - it's everything that's lead up to it. It's the girl I was at 17, the child who was taken advantage of. It's the girl I was when I wrote these songs; the woman I am today. The souls we have lost along the way. The love that was given when it should have been protected. So much has been lost, but so much has been gained. A sense of self, a sense of worth, a grasp of my purpose in this world and an understanding of just how much I have to give. From once being tightly bound and wrapped in clear plastic, this book is now open, comfortably, inviting you to read a page and take what you will.”
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She explained of some tracks for the album.
“Woman In Love”
“It was the first time I'd been angry and pissed off in a song. I was furious with him and the situation he put me in, how I'd been neglecting myself for years. It's a kickass song, and I love it. I feel like women aren't allowed to be angry, or not be okay – I used to not take shit from anyone, and in that relationship, I'd been whittled down to a tiny little wooden figure. It was the start of me building myself back up.”
“Lightly”
“It was a pivotal moment in my opinion of myself and helped me navigate leaving this bad relationship. I found new angles and styles to keep it fresh, and with a new outlook on life, writing this song helped me believe it.”
“Far and Wide”
“Far and Wide is a celebration of friendship. It reflects the madness and uncertainty of early adulthood and the constant change and turbulence we all go through. After neglecting them for a long time, I realised how constant and secure my friendships had become. They saved me, melting away my shame and holding me when I couldn't cope. Banding together against our shared, frenzied existences, it dawned on me that these loving and intimate friendships were more valuable than any boyfriend had ever been. The constant support and unconditional love of these people is the reason I am here today. So this is a love letter to those friends who saved me - I would do anything for you.”
“Flames”
“It was a time where I felt really useless, musically. I was really without direction. I had a strong connection with it emotionally: it was all about running into the flames when you're in a really dark, sad place, and deciding that you're going to change.”
“True Love” featuring The Flaming Lips
“This past year has been full of pinch-me moments, but today, releasing 'True Love feat. The Flaming Lips' is certainly one of the biggest. I wanted to add this final song to the album as an ode to self love and radical acceptance of yourself, no matter who you are, or what you have experienced. Never in a million years would I have believed The Flaming Lips would be the band to help bring this song to life - so thank you to the band, for bringing vivid technicolour to this rainbow of a song.”
Photo by Sequoia Ziff - source : Apple Music
