Squirrel Flower is the musical project of Boston-based Ella O’Connor Williams. Polyvinyl has signed on to release her debut album I Was Born Swimming early next year — Full Time Hobby has it in the UK — and today we get to hear its lead single.

“Red Shoulder” is a melancholy indie-rock power ballad that bears a strong Mitski influence, but its tangled web of guitars evokes acts like American Football and Slaughter Beach, Dog too. “I’m still reeling from your last call,” Williams sings, before the song descends into a dramatic guitar breakdown. In a press release she says “Red Shoulder” is “a song about destabilization and dissociation,” continuing, “Something soft and tender becomes warped and sinister, turning into sensory overload and confusion. How can something so lovely turn painful and claustrophobic? The song ends with a heavy and visceral guitar solo, attempting to reground what went awry.”

Watch director Laura-Lynn Petrick’s video for “Red Shoulder” below.

TRACKLIST:
01 “I-80″
02 “Red Shoulder”
03 “Slapback”
04 “Eight Hours”
05 “Headlights”
06 “Honey, Oh Honey!”
07 “Seasonal Affective Disorder”
08 “Home”
09 “Streetlight Blues”
10 “Rush”
11 “Belly Of The City”
12 “I Was Born Swimming”

I Was Born Swimming is out 1/31 on Polyvinyl/Full Time Hobby. Pre-order it here.

CREDIT: Ally Schmaling