ACL Artist Spotlight: Angel Olsen

Photo by Taylor Hill

A unique blend of folk and indie pop, Angel Olsen broke on the scene as a touring member for Bonnie “Prince” Billy. Her debut LP Half Way Home (2012) was a critical success, an emotional folk album focused around Olsen’s striking voice and acoustic guitar. Her sound expanded with her next work Burn Your Fire for No Witness (2014), with a backing rock band and indie rock influence spread all over the album. Her fame continues to grow with her latest release, My Woman (2016). Her latest effort is a psychedelic folk rock album Pitchfork writer Jenn Pelly called “her best record yet.” Helped by the success of the singles “Shut Up Kiss Me” and “Intern,” the record was a critical and commercial success and ended up on numerous “Best of 2016” lists.

This year Angel Olsen has been busy. She has performed on Conan, at Pitchfork Music Festival, and is currently on a North American tour. In addition, she will be releasing a compilation, Phases, on November 10th. The new record will feature many rarities, B-sides and never-before-heard recordings, including “Fly on the Wall,” previously released for the anti-Trump compilation Our First 100 Days.

Despite the change in her sound through the years, her origins in folk have never left, especially in her lyrics. Her melancholic musings on love and identity make her one of the most original voices performing today. Her performance at ACL will not be one you want to miss. Angel Olsen is performing Saturday, October 7th and 14th at ACL Music Festival. All of her releases as well as merchandise can be found here, as well as Bandcamp. Her music can be streamed on Spotify, Google Play Music, and Soundcloud. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.