Want by Esther Rose
Esther Rose was on a long solo drive when she started writing the opening title track of Want, her stunning fifth album. At first, the words seemed almost like a joke, something to keep herself amused as the miles passed. “I want a puppy, but I don't want a mess. I want to know where I’m going without GPS,” she sang from behind the wheel. Soon, the idea snowballed into a list of desires that spanned existential, spiritual, and mundane; romantic to platonic to familial; at once wildly ambitious yet piercingly relatable; all set to a catchy melody that blends her pop instincts with country storytelling and the raw immediacy of a basement punk show. In other words, she was on her way to another classic Esther Rose song.
This precise blend has made the Santa Fe-based artist one of her generation’s most beloved songwriters: someone whose live shows are known to conclude in mass tears and group hugs. Still, something was different this time. “For me, these songs felt like revelations,” she explains, comparing the 11-song record to a memoir, alive with kinetic storytelling and personal insight. In its newly direct and stirringly nuanced writing, you’ll hear about rock bottom encounters, shifting relationships with substances, evolving perspectives on adult partnership, and, as evidenced by those early lines in “Want,” a few jokes along the way. Vivid and bracing, Want places you in the passenger seat while each of these feelings arrive.
Tracklist
| 1. | Want | |
| 2. | tailspin (ft. Video Age) | |
| 3. | Had To | 4:12 |
| 4. | Ketamine | 3:40 |
| 5. | Rescue You | |
| 6. | Scars (ft. Dean Johnson) | |
| 7. | Messenger | |
| 8. | New Bad | 3:44 |
| 9. | The Clown | |
| 10. | Color Wheel | |
| 11. | Want Pt. 2 | |
Credits
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Gina Leslie - bass, vocals
John James Tourville - pedal steel, concert drum
Kunal Prakash - guitar, piano, bass six, rain stick
Howe Pearson - drums, percussion, piano, vocals
Ross Farbe - guitar, synth, organ, piano, percussion, vocals
Dean Johnson - vocals
Esther Rose - vocals, guitar
Dean Johnson appears courtesy of Saddle Creek Records. Howe Pearson and John James Tourville appear courtesy of New West Records. Kunal Prakash appears courtesy of Curation Records.
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All songs written by Esther Rose
Covertly Canadian Publishing (BMI)
except
“tailspin (ft. Video Age)” written by Ross Farbe and Esther Rose
Covertly Canadian Publishing (BMI) / Ross Farbe
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Produced and mixed by Ross Farbe
Engineered by Drew Carroll at The Bomb Shelter in Nashville, TN
Mastered by Joe Lambert at Joe Lambert Mastering in Cortlandt Manor, NY
Management: Tony Presley at Find The River
Booking (NA): Tom Konnitzer at Anniversary Group
Booking (EU): Philippe Van Leuven at Upsurge Artists
Cover and back cover photo by Anna Marie Tendler
Interior photo by Megan Karson
Graphic design by Jackson Tupper
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Thankfully, I am not alone in my process. Many folks have influenced my work in significant ways. Be it a small suggestion that flipped the song into another universe, listening and providing feedback when I got stuck, or championing my music and urging me along.
Thank you to Julia Sanders (songwriting soulmate), Zella Day (real-life dream girl), Casey Jane (eternal muse), Callie Millington, Beau Bedford, Christian Lee Hutson, Gia Margaret, Ray Micarelli, Bella White, Sam Gelband, Maddy Kirgo, all of The Deslondes, Chris Acker, Mik Grantham, Rainier Amiel, Heather McKearnan, and Dean Johnson.
And to the band: Gina, Howe, JJ, and Kunal, thanks for The Simpsons and all that weed. To Ross: we did it again. To my team: Tony Presley, George Jr., Meg B., and everyone at New West Records - your support and consistency makes this whole thing work. To my Notesapp poets: <3. Thanks to El Rey Court for the very long leash. And to Christian Sommer - my heart, my home - thank you.
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