Angel Olsen unveils new ‘Forever Means’ EP, shares lead single ‘Nothing’s Free’
Angel Olsen is back with a brand new EP, and she’s bought its lead single with her. ‘Nothing’s Free’ is the first offering from Forever Means, a collection of songs from the Big Time sessions connected by a common theme. “Forever is to remain curious, never letting yourself think you’re finished learning or exploring, while trying also to be kind and honest,” Olsen says. The four-track EP is slated for release on April 14th via Jagjaguwar.
According to Olsen, ‘Nothing’s Free’ is “about that point when self-denial breaks, and you notice how long you’ve been restraining who you are”. Featuring piano from Drew Erickson and saxophone from Dan Higgins, it’s a sultry number at once evocative and unknowable.
“It felt really difficult to exclude it from Big Time“, Olsen says of the track, “but it felt more soulful than the direction of that record, it was coming from a different place. For me, when I wrote it, I was coming to terms with my identity and sexuality. I was opening up in a new way”.
‘Nothing’s Free’ is one of four tracks Olsen felt unable to include on Big Time. Produced and mixed by Jonathan Wilson, they are each “in search of something else” and carry a profound sense of movement. “I was somewhere travelling”, says Olsen, recalling how the EP concept came together, “stopped for a few days and wandering the city, and I was thinking ‘what does forever really mean? What are the things I’m seeking in friendship or love, and how can forever be attainable if we’re always changing?’”
Olsen soon came to the realisation that “the secret to ongoing love is to embrace change as part of love itself”. News of the EP comes shortly after Olsen wrapped up a string of North American tour dates. The singer-songwriter is currently on tour in Australia and recently announced headline slots at this year’s End of The Road and All Points East festivals.
You can pre-order Forever Means digitally on vinyl here
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out New Music Newsletter
All the latest New Music from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.