Molly Burch
First Flower
Release Date: Oct 5, 2018
Genre(s): Pop/Rock
Record label: Captured Tracks
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Album Review: First Flower by Molly Burch
Very Good, Based on 5 Critics
Based on rating 7.5/10
"Why do I care what you think?" Molly Burch asks in the very first verse of "Candy," the initial offering of First Flower, the follow up to her widely acclaimed debut Please Be Mine. Borne from tumultuous circumstance--self doubt, anxiety and fractured relationships--Burch claims she was plagued by trouble trepidation. "It ain't easy no more," she coos on the tellingly titled "Dangerous Place." "I hope I learn from my mistakes." Apparently she has.
Based on rating 7/10
Oftentimes, sequels don't mess with the formula that made the original a hit. Molly Burch knows what works for her— with a breezy country outfit, the Austin transplant lends her commanding, jazz-trained croon to tunnel-vision love songs. First Flower builds on where last year's blue winter debut Please Be Mine left off, but with the edges polished and dusted for a brighter sheen.
Based on rating 7/10
Though she worked with a different engineer/co-producer in Erik Wofford (Adam Torres, She Sir), Molly Burch returns a year after 2017's Please Be Mine with more of the debut's yearning, highly stylized vintage pop on First Flower. The album also welcomes back key collaborators including lead guitarist/co-producer Dailey Toliver and Please Be Mine producer Dan Duszynski, who plays on the title track. What has changed between albums is that Burch opens up a little here, offering more personal reflection on a record dedicated, per the liner notes, to "anyone who has ever experienced anxiety or self-doubt.
Based on rating 6.7/10
"Any woman that is singing a ballad is my favorite thing," the Austin singer-songwriter Molly Burch recently confessed when asked about her influences, listing off everyone from Billie Holiday to Dusty Springfield to Britney Spears. Fittingly, on her second album, First Flower, Burch's voice takes center stage. On her debut, last year's Please Be Mine, Burch focused on the tribulations of romantic love.
Opinion: Excellent
Molly Burch blossoms on sophomore effort 'First Flower', just a year on from her critically acclaimed debut, 'Please Be Mine'. Battling abusive relationships and anxious demons throughout, the album culminates in the stunning line "I've worn my body down, I'm done..." on album-closer, 'Every Little Thing', while Burch paints vivid images of hopelessness and defeat throughout 'First Flower'. 'Candy' appears as a break-up argument following a toxic relationship whilst 'Without You' sees Burch admit her over- reliance on a lover, "I don't know what I'd do without you".
'First Flower'
is available now