Allison Russell is one-half of Birds of Chicago, one-quarter of Our Native Daughters, and now one hundred percent of her own solo act. The esteemed, self-taught singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist will release her debut album Outside Child on May 21st via Fantasy Records. Her first single, “Nightflyer,” is Dan’s DJ Pick of the Week!
Outside Child was written over the summer of 2019 and recorded over the course of three days in September of that year. On it, Russell unpacks her youth and reclaims her identity. She writes about “resilience, survival, transcendence, the redemptive power of art, community, connection, and chosen family.” “Nighflyer,” our first taste, is about the healing power of motherhood.
“When I was sixteen I read The Thunder: Perfect Mind for the first time – it’s an exhortatory poem discovered among the Gnostic manuscripts in the Nag Hammadi library in the ’40s. It has never left me. I’ve been meditating on the nature of resilience, endurance, and grace more deeply since becoming a mother. I was trying to bridge the divide and embrace shame and my inner divinity equally with this piece …” Russel explains in the Youtube description for the song’s music video. With the production help of Dan Knobler, her eloquent lyrics live up to the lofty goals she sets for them.
Yeah I’m a midnight rider
Stone bonafide night flyer
I’m an angel of the morning too
The promise that the dawn will bring you
Be sure to tune into 100.1 FM or lightning100.com to hear “Nighflyer” by Allison Russell featured as Dan’s DJ Pick of the Week. Be sure to let us know your thoughts! Tweet at us with #L100DJPick and share your take on the track.
