Midwestern artist Lissie is a multi-talented tour de force who appeared in TV shows Twin Peaks and Loudermilk as well as co-owning the music genre themed popcorn company Otts Pops Indie Pop and being involved with land conservation and running her own farm. Her new country-tinged indie folk album Carving Canyons is due out September 16 on Lionboy Records.
The sun soaked twelve song collection is a sonic comfort as it simultaneously charts the ripples caused by heartbreak and loneliness as well as what happens when the soul perseveres amidst pain. As the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the world, Lissie was also dealing with an impactful breakup on her Iowa farm. “It was an important period of time for me to explore some of my dark places and process it all.”
A breakup song at its core, lead single “Flowers” explores the cycles of grief and the parallels Lissie saw in nature while gardening on her farm as she processed that grief. Co-written with Henry Brill and Bre Kennedy who also contributes vocals, you can just about feel the sunny breeze roll in as she builds power from pain with the expansive track. “The prettiest blooms literally come from shit, it’s a fertilizer,” she says while talking about the song’s lyrical themes. “I wanted to claim my right to feel my feelings. As I grieved—not only for a relationship, but for the world in the midst of a pandemic—I felt like my anger made people uncomfortable, but I came out the other side empowered and ready to step back into my light. I can grow my own flowers and make my own joy.”
Produced by Curt Schneider (Patty Smyth, Lucero), Carving Canyons is about looking within while dealing with the uncertainty of the future—finding hope in personal and worldly adversity, no matter what the forecast might say. Inspired by her incredible intergenerational female friend group and the nature that surrounded her, Lissie traveled to Nashville and co-wrote much of the album with a majority of female-identifying songwriters—including Bre Kennedy, Madi Diaz, Morgan Nagler, Natalie Hemby, Kate York, and Sarah Buxton—who also contribute additional vocals throughout the album.
“Some days it was so terrifying that I didn’t know how to carry on—and then I realized, ‘How exciting. What a gift,'” Lissie recalls while discussing her frame of mind while making the record. “The road in front of me is wide open.” Accordingly, Carving Canyons is another step in an impressive career that opens up endless possibilities for what’s to come.
Carving Canyons’ is Lissie’s first full-length album since her UK Top 10 album ‘Castles’ in 2018. Lissie recently played a sold-out show in London at LaFayette following last years release of ‘Watch Over Me (Early Works 2002-2009)’ and the ‘Anniversary Edition’ of ‘Catching A Tiger’. For a full list of tour dates visit https://lissie.com.
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