Watchhouse shares “Beautiful Flowers,” a slow-blooming elegy to a butterfly that takes an existential look at automotive expansion, the interconnectedness of nature, and the little-considered costs of industrialised society. Though the song’s topics are ambitious, it’s delivered in a thoughtful and poetic cadence by Watchhouse’s Emily Frantz — a plainspoken reflection that exemplifies the ingenious songwriting of her bandmate Andrew Marlin and the duo’s bewitching musical chemistry.
Listen to ‘Beautiful Flowers’ HERE
“Beautiful Flowers” comes from Watchhouse (out August 13 on Tiptoe Tiger Music / Thirty Tigers), the first record from the duo formerly known as Mandolin Orange. Produced by Andrew Marlin and Josh Kaufman (Bonny Light Horseman, The National), Watchhouse weaves Andrew Marlin’s Appalachian-steeped songwriting into sonic patchworks that pull from American primitivism and ambient composition. Watchhouse is Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz embarking on a new artistic journey into an uncharted wilderness — and finding a clarity of purpose through it all.
“We’re different people than when we started this band,” Marlin says, reflecting on all these shifts. “We’re setting new intentions, taking control of this thing again.”
Alongside last month’s album announcement, Watchhouse shared the music video for “New Star.” Directed by Sylvan Esso’s Amelia Meath, the video explores the communal rituals that color our existence and tie us to society. Watch “New Star” here: http://found.ee/WHNewStarVideo
And watch the gorgeous and geometric video for “Better Way” (directed by Lachlan Turczan), which accompanied the announcement of the group’s name change, here: https://found.ee/
Watchhouse have “redefined roots music for a younger generation” (Washington Post) as over the past decade they’ve gone from playing coffee shops to headlining the Ryman and Red Rocks. Their 2019 album Tides Of A Teardrop was a runaway hit that lead to the band’s first ever national TV performances on CBS Saturday and the TODAY Show as well as an NPR Tiny Desk. Rolling Stone says Tides is “compelling…a new step for the band, and one that’s rewarding to hear.”
