Videos

FLOCK OF DIMES announces album ‘Head of Roses’

• 5th Feb 2021

Today, Flock of Dimes (aka Jenn Wasner) has shared “Two,” the official video and lead single from her newly announced album ‘Head of Roses’, out April 2nd, 2021 via Sub Pop. 
 
Wasner’s second solo LP and her first for Sub Pop following last year’s EP ‘Like So Much Desire’, ‘Head of Roses’ showcases her ability to embrace new levels of vulnerability, honesty and openness, combined with the self-assuredness that comes with a decade-plus career as a songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist and prolific collaborator.
 
Simply put,‘Head of Roses’ is a record about heartbreak, but from a dualistic perspective. It’s about the experience of having one’s heart broken and breaking someone else’s heart at the same time. But beyond that, it’s about having to reconcile the experience of one’s own pain with the understanding that it’s impossible to go through life without being the source of great pain for someone else.
 
The video for today’s release, “Two,” which was directed by Lola B. Pierson and Cricket Arrison, stars Wasner and Arrison and explores the layers of artifice that we wrap ourselves in to make it through the day. 
 
Directors Pierson and Arrison offer this on the video’s specific theme: “The world of the video shows two humans during three consecutive days. One human lives her life from morning to night, the other from night to morning. In the middle of the day they meet and the next day begins. By exploring dichotomies (natural/artificial, day/night, everyday/majestic) the work points to the pain caused by categorization and the joy of unification.”
 
Wasner elaborates: “‘Two’ is about trying to find a kind of balance between independence and interdependence, and the multitudes within ourselves. It’s about trying to reconcile the desire to maintain a sense of personal autonomy and freedom with the need to connect deeply with others. And it’s about struggling to feel at home in a body, and learning how to accept that the projection of self that you show to others will always be incomplete.
 
“I made this video with an incredible team of generous and talented people, including some very dear old friends. I think what we made captures the spirit of the song perfectly—the sense of delight and wonder at the absurd beauty of everyday life, and the true moments of spontaneous joy that can erupt in those rare moments when you catch a glimpse of yourself the way others see you.” 

Showcasing the depth of Wasner’s songwriting capabilities and the complexity of her vision, ‘Head of Roses’ calls upon her singular ability to create a fully-formed sonic universe via genre-bending amalgamation of songs and her poetic and gut punch lyrics. It’s the soundtrack of Wasner letting go – of control, of heartbreak, and of hiding who she is: “I think I’ve finally reached a point in my career where I feel comfortable enough with myself and what I do, that I’m able to relax into a certain simplicity or straight forwardness that I wasn’t comfortable with before.” ‘Head of Roses’ puts Wasner’s seismically powerful voice front and centre. Those vocals help thread it all together — it’s a textured musicality, quilted together by intentionality and intuition.
    
Wasner and producer Nick Sanborn (Sylvan Esso, Made of Oak) assembled ‘Head of Roses’ in the same way you’d put together a mixtape, painstakingly and carefully melding disparate parts into a whole, transcending genre to weave a story of heartache and healing together. And in the same way a homemade, painstakingly-crafted mixtape plays out, with the maker’s fingerprints left all over its songs – so goes ‘Head of Roses’. Carefully curated and culled from the depths of Wasner’s heartbreak and healing, it’s deeply, intensely personal.
 
‘Head of Roses’ was produced by Nick Sanborn (Sylvan Esso) and Wasner at Betty’s in Chapel Hill, NC, engineered by Bella Blaskowith additional engineering by Sanborn, mixed by Ari Picker and Blasko, and mastered by Huntley Miller. The album features appearances from guitarist Meg Duffy, Bon Iver’s Matt McCaughan, Wye Oak’s Andy Stack, and Landlady’s Adam Schatz. ‘Head of Roses’ follows the release of ‘Like So Much Desire’, her acclaimed digital EP released June 2020 on Sub Pop.
 
‘Head of Roses’ is now available for preorder through Sub Pop. LP preorders through megamart.subpop.com, and select independent retailers in North America will receive the limited Loser edition on peach swirl vinyl (while supplies last). LP preorders in the U.K. and in Europe will receive the Loser edition on Magenta vinyl (while supplies last).