The experience of trauma, whether mental or physical, often necessitates a creative outlet, and, for an artist, it’s often among their most raw and honest work. When Florist‘s Emily Sprague suffered a bike accident that left her hospitalized and debilitated, the bi-product was the writing and recording of their new record, The Birds Outside Sang. From the sound of its first single, “A Hospital + Crucifix Made of Plastic”, it’s the audible looming feeling of coming close to death. Synthetic organ fills the room with funereal tones, like the lead-up to a procession, only what follows is perhaps from the view of the casket, Sprague witnessing herself be put to rest. Background breathing sounds, muffled voices and percussive clacking offer the full effect of a failed resuscitation attempt, machinery at work, and faceless people figuring out what to do, but everything feels garbled from the other side. The dubbing of her small, almost sleepy voice echoes in the spacious white of the lonely hospital room, and fills it with a flowery darkness. It’s as solemn as it gets, just a floating voice and some minimalistic synth, cooing, “I am weightless, I am bone, I am asphalt…” Dark.
The Birds Outside Sang will be released January 29 on Double Double Whammy. You can stream “A Hospital + Crucifix Made of Plastic” below.
