Angel Olsen Gets Introspective On New EP 'Forever Means'
By Taylor Hodgkins on March 8, 2023 at 12:30 PM EST
Time is no concept for musician Angel Olsen!
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The country-tinged indie songstress has been releasing music since 2010, and she isn't slowing down now. The "Hi-Five" singer announced her newest album and its first single on Tuesday morning, Olsen's first new release in nearly a year.
There is no doubt the last few years have been difficult for many. The 36-year-old has tackled many important themes of self-reflection and pandemic-inspired loneliness in her last few releases. Her 2021 duet with Sharon Van Etten, "Like I Used To," explores complex feelings brought on by COVID-related quarantine.
Olsen chronicled several life moments and experiences on last year's "Big Time," documenting feelings inspired by the grief of losing her mother, and coming out a year earlier. She was not deterred by any possible ramifications from detailing such personal subjects on the LP.
"When I sit down with my catalouge," Olsen explained to The New Yorker last year, "the one thing I'm really grateful for is that I've only written about real life s**t. Not everyone wants that in music, and not everyone's like that in music. It's taken me years to not have a chip on my shoulder about it because I can be really intense. I'll meet somebody new, and they'll be like, 'Woah.''
Olsen Announces Brand New EP, 'Forever Means'
Here It Comes…..
Forever Means EP - Out April 14.
Pre Order here: https://t.co/0aZYh3XyNJ
“Nothing’s Free” is streaming everywhere now.
Co produced by Jonathan Wilson
Horn Arrangement and 🎷 by Dan Higgins
Organ and Piano by Drew Ericksonhttps://t.co/UP86mnRYnF pic.twitter.com/YfmRySjqmh
— Angel Olsen (@AngelOlsen) March 7, 2023
The idea of having an endless amount of time and the mindset of having no expiration date in any area of our lives, inspired Olsen as she began to think about her newest project.
"I was somewhere traveling," she explained, of her thought process. "stopped for a few days and wandering around the city, and I was thinking, 'What does forever really mean?' "What are the things I'm seeking in friendship or love, and how can forever be attainable if we're always changing?," Olsen continued via statement per Consequence.
Inside The Inspiration For The EP's First Single, 'Nothing's Free'
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These existential questions undoubtedly take root in the relationship with our sense of self and self-esteem; Looking inward inspired Olsen to write the first single from "Forever Means," which is comprised of songs left over from her previous record.
The single's importance to Olsen felt "more soulful than the direction of that record," she says, referring to "Big Time." "It was coming from a different place. For me, when I wrote it, I was coming to terms with my identity and sexuality. I was opening up in a new way."
Olsen also unveiled the lyric music video for "Nothing's Free" on her social media accounts as well, with a link to preorder the EP, which will be released next month.
According to Olsen's official Twitter announcement, the single was produced alongside Jonathan Wilson, and features a horn arrangement by Dan Higgins.
"SO EXCITED FOR IT ANGEL!!!," a fan responded to the tweet. "I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, your music means the world to me <3"
"we will be listening!!," a fan wrote.
The anticipation for Olsen's new EP and single was almost too much for some to handle!
"I'M SO SCARED," another fan exclaimed.
"God bless Angel," another fan commented, along with a prayer hands emoji.
"Forever Means" will be released on April 14th, on Olsen's label Jagjaguar!