What do pastel colors connote? Softness, femininity, youthful creativity, deliciousness, accommodation. Pastels are easy on the eye: they don’t demand attention, but they get it anyway through sheer charm. Ice creams and cupcake wrappers are often in pastels, as are cosmetics, parasols, and bed sheets made of the airiest, most comfortable cotton. For years, a certain type of indie-pop performer has used pastel colors to signify alignment with the values, and the gentle, quietly rebellious aesthetics that pastels represent – and pastels sure do look proper on Burbank, California singer-songwriter Wren Wilder.
The new single, mixed by Wren herself, builds on the success of First Flight, Wilder’s exquisitely written seven-song debut EP. The set established Wilder as a storyteller in the classic folk tradition with jazz-inspired chord structures in her harmonies – a crystal-clear communicator whose kindness should never be mistaken for weakness. It also showcased her skills as a record-maker, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist. Every xylophone strike, every firmly struck snare hit, every Mellotron chord and Wurlitzer trill, every nuance of her expressive voice is preserved here with remarkable fidelity and attention to detail. All elements are in the right place, with everything chiming in harmony.
Stream the song in our New Music Friday Spotify playlist now: