In honor of the days growing longer, the sunshine radiating more, and the winter cold biting less, it seems like the perfect time to look ahead to spring. With this time of growth in nature comes new nostalgia . . . for me, at least. Rather than sitting in the inevitable black abyss of winter, this time of year seems more promising than burdensome. Instead of listening to songs about unrequited love or bitter feelings of any sort, it seems more fitting to indulge in songs of other topics.

On this first episode of this music series, an album that was produced just before the pandemic—on February 28th, 2020—is going to be summed up; this album being Graveyard Flower by Sam Burchfield. This nine-track album is distinguishable due to its folk sound all throughout each song; furthermore, each song relates back to the album’s central message of wanting to reconnect with the natural world.

“Waking Up” starts Burchfield’s first album off in a bright, hopeful manner. Not only does this song bring listeners a sense of grounding, but it also brings them a gentle reminder of how temporary human bodies are. Lyrics such as “Take a little time / To watch the sun rise,” and “Lay me down and wash my soul away,” are some of my favorites that help to portray this universal message.

Many gems can be unearthed while listening to this album in its entirety; one of these being “Hold My Hand,” which is consequent to the intro track. Elaborating on the complex topics at hand throughout this album, this song ultimately deals with the fact that we are all born to die, and our bodies are merely vessels for our souls. Another favorite is “The Last of the Honey Bees,” which contains the lyrics of “I don’t wanna grow up, ’cause some day I’m gonna be dead and gone.” Though perhaps uncomfortable to sit with, these lyrics have been resonating more as I have progressed throughout my final year of high school.

As a whole, the nine songs contained within Sam Burchfield’s Graveyard Flower provide listeners with insightful lyrics, compelling messages, and even a bit of gentle reality.