Nichole Wagner navigates loss on her meditative new song “Plastic Flowers,” the title track from her upcoming album. The song unfurls with a confident riff and folk rock swagger, as Wagner declares that she is finally dropping some dead weight. The mid-tempo rocker lulls listeners into a sense of comfort — which is when Wagner hits you with the grief that comes even when you do something healthy for yourself.
“When you go to therapy, they frequently suggest that you write a letter with your feelings, even if you never actually send it,” Wagner explains. “Of course, I’ve written the letter, or thought over every part of a conversation that I might have with someone –scripting it out and preparing all of the points-and I’ve also made the mistake of sending them. Every verse in ‘Plastic Flowers’ is looking at different relationships in my life, whether it be romantic, platonic or familial, and thinking about what that letter might say.”
The Austin-based singer-songwriter finds art in balance, the complexity and duality that good artists embrace then reflect in their craft and performance. She is a crafter of vulnerable and melancholy original songs who has the tenacity to make room for herself in a crowded music scene and finds great joy in doing it. A child of rural Colorado, Wagner has found her adult self in Austin, one of modern music’s most crowded hubs.
Plastic Flowers will be out on June 7th
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