Willow shares whimsical new single ‘Big Feelings’ and announces album ‘Empathogen’

Willow has shared her whimsical new single ‘Big Feelings’ and has announced her new album ‘Empathogen’.

• READ MORE: The NME Big Read – Willow: “Humans have never been good at accepting that people are different”

The track opens up with a jazzy piano riff followed by a pounding kick drum. “I have such big feelings / Can’t shut ’em down without a sound / I have such big feelings / Can’t shut ’em down or let ’em out,” she sings over the whimsical beat.

Speaking about the track in a statement (Per Stereoboard), Willow said: “The piano part of this song is so dense and dissonant but also darkly beautiful. I wrote ‘b i g f e e l i n g s’ during a week where I was coming to terms with my own emotional patterns that I hadn’t known were there. Musically, it has a darkness and complexity that reflects what we all experience in our own minds. The song is about accepting those intense feelings that you have no idea what to do with.”

Directed by Willow herself, the song’s accompanying visualizer sees her standing infront of black backdrop with a yellow and green circle. Throughout the video, Williow is seen sporting a light blue blazer, geometric braids and a gold grill while she laughs, poses and stares at the camera.

‘Big Feelings’ is the second song to be released from upcoming sixth studio album ‘Empathogen’ which is set for release on May 3 and is available for pre-order/pre-save. The track follows lead single ‘Symptom Of Life’.

‘Empathogen’ will see Willow collaborate with Jon Batiste on ‘Home’ as well as St. Vincent on ‘Pain For Fun’.

‘Empathogen’ track list is: 

‘Home (feat. Jon Batiste)’
‘Ancient Girl’
‘Symptom of Life’
‘The Fear Is Not Real’
‘False Self’
‘Pain For Fun (feat. St. Vincent)’
‘No Words 1 & 2’
‘Down’
‘Run!’
‘Between I and She’
‘I Know That Face’
‘B I G F E E L I N G S’

‘Symptom Of Life’ serves as her first offering from her upcoming album. The LP will follow 2022’s ‘COPINGMECHANISM’. In a four-star review of the album, NME shared: “Over a relatively small number of tracks compared to some of the bloated albums that get released today, WILLOW has opted for quality over quantity once again.”

It continued: “However, despite utilising a similar premise as on her last album by plucking her feelings away on a guitar, ‘<COPINGMECHANISM>’ is still an important record in her musical progression. In the poetic and thoughtful nature of it, as well as the odd glimpse of where she could go next, WILLOW’s fifth record should be noted as her breaking sonically mature new ground.”

Last year, Willow shared her transcendental single ‘Alone’ and shared a picture from the studio featuring St. Vincent – aka Annie Clark – leading many fans to believe that a collaboration was in the works.