More about: Angel Olsen

Where artists reflect further inwards with each and every release, Angel Olsen bursts with expansive and discerning introspection in her new EP, Forever Means. 

“I was somewhere traveling, 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?’” Angel says of the project, perfectly summarising where we find her.

Enter Forever Means – the playful, raw prerequisite to Olsen’s Big Time. Collecting some unheard songs from the Big Time sessions, Olsen pulls these four tracks together by a common thematic thread. Each tells a story of discovery - the truer sense of self we meet when we accept that there is no final destination to uncovering our truth. Like opening up, the four songs stretch wide to reveal technical experimentation and playful creativity, mirroring the push and pull of self-discovery. 

“Maybe the secret to ongoing love is to embrace change as part of love itself, that forever must have something to do with playing, looking, constantly searching things out for yourself, never letting yourself think you’re finished learning or exploring.”   

If, then, embracing change is how we uncover our truth, Forever Means represents Olsen’s letting go of the wheel. Inching along the interims of self-doubt and ease, ‘Nothing’s Free’ is a beautiful slow burn about how “self-denial breaks”. Led by haunting piano and sparse drums, Olsen's vocals coo over the mellow instrumentation, bursting forth into a leading sax and organ arrangement in the bridge. A break from Olsen’s usual discography, it is an enchanting showcase of Olsen’s capabilities. 

"A thoughtful reflection on relationships of grief, love, and self-discovery in all its phases"

Forever Means represents new ways of reflecting self-love; not just in its stories but in how Olsen pushes the boundaries of her technical musical abilities. ‘Holding On’, as she describes, is not meant for singing, but “for getting lost in”, a purely sensory experience. Playful vocal presentation and output mark the second track, while “Time Bandits” presents a love song of a new genre. It is a pensive rumination on “if we desired survival and peace the way we desired to be loved by a partner”. The titular track “Forever Means” combines the best of Olsen’s familiar Big Time. “Couldn’t see the light / She brought to me” stands out amidst guitars and synths and draw the EP to a close. 

Forever Means brings music for the soul and food for the mind. A thoughtful reflection on relationships of grief, love, and self-discovery in all its phases — for creative ideas, for the self, for our loved ones. 

Forever Means arrives April 14th

Grab your copy of the Gigwise print magazine here.

More about: Angel Olsen