Ella O’Connor Williams, who performs under the moniker Squirrel Flower, breezed through a handful of songs for the latest installment of “In My Room,” a series in which artists perform from home while in quarantine.
From her house in Arlington, Massachusetts — where Williams recently cooked risotto for Rolling Stone — she kicked off with her new song “Take It or Leave It,” a track she dropped on Tuesday along with a cover of Caroline Polachek’s “So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings.”
Williams recorded “Take It or Leave It” as a 7-inch single to go along with her debut album I Was Born Swimming, released in January. Following “Take It or Leave It,” she dove into the excellent “Headlights” from the album. “Realize I’m not getting older but I’m not getting younger/But I’m not getting younger,” she sings, strumming her acoustic guitar. “Headlights look different/When I’m looking over my shoulder.”
For her final song, Williams unveiled “I’ll Never Bend,” a song she wrote four years ago but never recorded. “I’ll never bend myself for another/That’s why I have to leave my dear,” she announces. “I realize now I have forgotten/How it feels to hold myself so close/And now I am free to discover/What I really need the most.”
Williams’ “In My Room” segment follows performances by Hop Along’s Frances Quinlan, Sting, Joan Jett, Lucinda Williams, Waxahatchee and more. To support musicians undergoing financial hardship, please consider giving to the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund or MusiCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund.
To support Squirrel Flower directly, visit her website.
