song: "Blue Shit" - Gillian Frances

words: Michael Brooks

Ever wonder why the color blue is most commonly associated with sadness? On “Blue Shit”, taken from the forthcoming EP Born Yesterday (out 5/18 via Good Cheer Records), Portland songwriter Gillian Frances finds her own voice; one that’s radiating with enthusiasm and sincerity, but also also rooted in sadness. Drawing upon the restorative powers of ambivalence, Frances explores the pitfalls of being young and in love. The creeping melancholia of unrequited love lingers all around the sparse instrumental—each guitar strum aching with the intensity of a lifetime's worth of heartbreaks. Frances’ voice carries a gentle urgency to it, her words slowly dissolve as the stillness of the track envelops everything around it. “Blue Shit” is a hushed and meditative slice of lo-fi folk, tackling head-on the inherent feeling of having no one, but managing to come out the other side stronger than ever.

feature image: Crystal Joy Tuliszewski