It takes a lot (an admitted weak spot) for us to latch onto a slow burner, but Eliza Edens‘ latest single, “Westlawn Cemetery” is just that good. Using a unique tuning she borrowed from a Nick Drake song, Edens ponders the intricacies of mortality overtop a perfectly twangy guitar and a barebones drum accompaniment. It’s a gently-plucked, indie-folk masterpiece that is sure to make you feel something, no matter where you’re at in life. We usually try to put these things into our own words, but Edens’ description of the song’s origins is just too powerful not to share – here it is below:
“During the depths of the pandemic, I was hunkering down at my childhood home with my parents in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. I went for walks every day, usually just up the street to a small, bucolic cemetery where I formed many early memories – sledding, walking the dog, learning to drive. During this time while I was home, it started to become clear that my mother needed extra care due to her illness. One afternoon on one of my walks, I started thinking a lot about mortality, the irony of gravestones, and how much time she spent as a professional gardener – tending to the earth and making the world a more beautiful place in the most literal way. Those thoughts swirled together, and this song manifested after fussing around in a tuning I learned from a Nick Drake song. My collaborator Pat had the idea of putting very thick, low-end electronic drums on the song which adds a felt heartbeat and weight to the song. It’s all about the difficulty of accepting change and death.”
You can also find “Westlawn Cemetery” on Spotify.