WILDES announces her debut album Other Words Fail Me will be released on October 7 via AWAL. Produced by St Francis Hotel (Michael Kiwanuka, Little Simz) the album will feature previously released tracks ‘Lightly’ and ‘Woman In Love’ and newly released single ‘Far and Wide’.
Citing the influence of PJ Harvey, Patti Smith and SASAMI on her new album, WILDES notes – “They are unapologetically honest women and musicians. They gave me permission to come out of the box I’d been cowering in.”
New single ‘Far and Wide’ is released alongside a new video directed by WILDES herself, with the music deftly showcasing her stronghold of emotional clarity. Specifically focusing on the importance of friendship in early adulthood, ‘Far and Wide’ unites a delicate swell of electronic atmospherics, churning muted guitars and WILDES’ serene vocal.
Of the song’s lyrical inspiration, she said: “‘Far and Wide’ is a celebration of friendship. It reflects the madness and uncertainty of early adulthood and the constant change and turbulence we all go through. After neglecting them for a long time, I realised how constant and secure my friendships had become. They saved me, melting away my shame and holding me when I couldn’t cope. Banding together against our shared, frenzied existences, it dawned on me that these loving and intimate friendships were more valuable than any boyfriend had ever been. The constant support and unconditional love of these people is the reason I am here today. So this is a love letter to those friends who saved me – I would do anything for you.”
A defining theme of new album Other Words Fail Me is the hard-won process of reclaiming her self-esteem. More than a documentation of her artistry: it’s a testimony of hard-won survival. Scraping together the shards of a world shattered, bloodied fingers and teeth gritted from catching herself on the sharp edges of realities she spent four years trying to ignore, at last, she has built herself an entirely new reflection.
After a long period of false dependency ending with her leaving a controlling and abusive relationship, Other Words Fail Me marks a new dawn for Ella Walker, where her future is entirely her own. Discussing the album’s title, Walker commented: “It was a name I’d had for quite a while in my head, but the album really grew into the name – it became a lot more symbolic than I ever intended, as writing this album was the only way I could safely and honestly talk about what was going on at the time. I quite literally didn’t have any other words to describe it other than the lyrics in these songs.”
Other Words Fail Me:
- Woman In Love
- Lightly
- Enfant
- Far and Wide
- Flames
- Just Like You
- Real Life
- Anytime
- Restless
- True Love
