📷 : Tina Mead / ✏️ : Aaron Pylinski

In the world of chill, sad-girl folk music, two prolific song weavers made great use of the Thalia Hall stagescape on September 29th. Boston native Ella Williams, aka Squirrel Flower started the night off bathed in red light and draped in a bedazzled denim gown. As she started to sing, her voice was pouring into every seam throughout the hall and there was an air of powerful frailty in her voice and guitar. 

She was joined by a full band after her opening number which added a distinct layer of sound behind Squirrel Flower’s entrancing vocals. They brought the crowd together with a cover of Caroline Polachek’s song, “So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings” which incited a sing along. Her back and forth with the crowd brought out convos of past love and mention of a Russian rapper ripping off her song, “Conditions,” which she sang with uncorrupted perfection.  

Plagiarism from a-hole male musicians aside, Squirrel Flower then busted out “Hurt A Fly” from her latest release Planet (i) and just completely slayed the stage. This song showed what two weeks on the road can do for a band. It was a total jam session and felt like two weeks of dress rehearsals leading up to this one face melting moment. The time was drawing close for Squirrel Flower to make way for the headliner.

They finished off the set with “Desert Wildflowers.” Williams said it’s a song about being terrified and in awe of nature. I can’t think of a better song to provide a soundtrack for feeling incredibly small at the feet of the natural world; it was completely entrancing. 

With the crowd warmed, Soccer Mommy took to the stage and gave an unbridled delivery of modern American rock. They kicked off the set with the first three songs from the latest album, color theory. By the time they got to “royal screw up,” the crowd was completely drawn in. 

Soccer Mommy is Sophia Regina Allison, from Nashville. She brings a mashup of guitar-rock savvy to the stage. This, coupled with a beautifully delicate voice, made for a concoction of creative music perfect for a venue like Thalia Hall. The band showed this off when they played “Last Girl” giving a dose of cool and collected alternative flavors. With “Henry,” they dished out a sound harkening to the ‘60s folk era. There was range as they went back and forth between material from color theory, and songs from the rest of Soccer Mommy’s discography. 

The band took a hiatus where Allison rolled through a few more songs from color theory on her own. This was an intimate look at her vocal range and ability to handle her guitar with surgical precision. The band came back out and they covered “Dagger” from Slowdive maintaining the slow vibe mid-set.  Ending on a more energetic note by taking “yellow is the color of her eyes” and turning it into a 7-minute kick ass jam session. 

Soccer Mommy left the stage and then promptly returned at the crowd’s behest for a two-song encore. They got in a full hour and a half set and left the crowd feeling great at the end of the evening with “Your Dog” and “Scorpio Rising” from the Clean album. All in all, it was a great way to spend a Thursday night. The crowd was fun and totally digging the music and it should go without saying that Thalia Hall is a beautiful venue capable of channeling amazing sound every time a band comes on. 

-AARON PYLINSKI