Photo: Valerie Fremin
There’s no better name for Nichole Wagner’s new track than ‘Yellow Butterfly’. Its lithe arrangement flutters and floats with all of the grace and dignity of such a gorgeous creature. Occasionally, an underlying intensity bursting from its instrumentation every so often to keep its journey ebbing and flowing forward. Tinges of piano and light synth pervade the track, elevating its beauty with an ethereal quality that never takes from its natural roots sound. And then, of course, there is that voice—world-aware, conscious, and with just a tinge of twang—that sidles and sifts all-too-well through such a serene arrangement.
Written following the death of Tom Petty, ‘Yellow Butterfly’ is a beautiful tribute to an artist who touched so many, all while never taking away from the identity of the artist performing it who he’s clearly helped shape.
This delectable piece of folk music predates the release of Wagner’s, And the Sky Caught Fire, set to be released on 13 July. Wagner says of the album, “This is unashamedly a relationship record, and all of the songs on it are very honest — though I may have slightly shifted a few very specific details, just to keep from hurting anyone unnecessarily. The songs that I love most have always been relationship songs, so the songs that I write usually tend to be relationship songs, too.”