Swedish and American indie pop duo, flora cash, has recently dropped their fourth studio album, "behind every beautiful thing", which plays with themes of contrast such as light and dark, sincerity and irony, hope and doubt, and heaven and hell.
TRACKLIST
Should've Dressed for the Event
just wanna feel you
Like No One Could
My Ex Would've Left By Now
Morning Comes
Baby I Love You
The Night Is Young
i'm tired
HOLY WATER
Dragon
The Builder (För J. Blom)
flora cash consists of Albanian/Swedish artist Shpresa Lleshaj and American artist Cole Randall. Shpresa was born in Kosovo, but fled to Sweden with her family when she was a child. In 2012 while living in Stockholm, she met Cole online (who lived in Minneapolis) when she found his music on SoundCloud and started commenting on his posts. They met in person, and the rest is history. They began creating music together and fell in love with each other; they made up the band name flora cash, and have kept the meaning a secret to this day. The same year they met, they released their debut EP, "Mighty Fine". In 2013, they got married and have been consistently releasing music together ever since. Most notably, flora cash broke through into mainstream music in 2018 with their song "You're Somebody Else" which now has over half a billion streams on Spotify alone and is now RIAA certified platinum in the USA. That same year, they were signed to Sony Music's RCA Records. With so many accomplishments under their belt, including being parents now, flora cash has yet to let anything stop them from continuously releasing new music that is fresh and inspiring. We're here with their fourth studio album, "behind every beautiful thing" which features 11 completely self-written and self-produced tracks for us to delve into. Let's get started.
Should've Dressed for the Event
We start the album with a soft, emotional and somber track titled "Should've Dressed for the Event". Featuring only Cole on vocals, this song is very haunting in it's soundscape. At the forefront is a raw piano progression, with abstract and wistful electronic production dancing around in the background. There's also moments of tender orchestral strings that really heighten the sadness. Cole sings with such passion and a unique vibrato that adds to the haunting element of this song. "Should've Dressed for the Event" seems to be about when you know the relationship you're in is over. You've grown apart so much that you're almost two completely different people than when you first met. However, the love for each other is still there and always will be; and there's still a tiny bit of hope that maybe one day, you will meet again.
just wanna feel you
Have you ever been with someone who makes you feel so at peace that all you want to do is freeze time and just hold them for as long as you possibly can? That's what "just wanna feel you" is about - being tired of the chaos and uncertainty of life, and just wanting to cherish the person that you love in hopes that they'll never go away. This song is a mid-tempo dark pop bop with a little bit of a hip-hop influence in it's groove and beat. The production style gives a vinyl-record type sound quality, and it's main instrument is an eerie piano line. Shpresa takes the lead, singing beautifully with raw emotion, and with Cole coming in to back her up with deeper tones.
Like No One Could
Even when you know you've found the right person to be with in your life, we still have these dark moments of doubt. The good thing is, we have that person to be there for us and to reassure us that we're going to be okay, and that we will always have them. "Like No One Could" touches on those topics of when negative thoughts come creeping in, but everything will be okay, because you're with someone who is going to love you forever no matter what. On this song we get to hear Cole and Shpresa duet with each other with a distorted effect, first taking turns and then coming together for the climax. I love the mixture of piano and cello here; they're doing their own thing but at the same time go beautifully together. One of my personal favorite moments is after the chorus, how Cole hums and makes his voice sound like a cello himself. Then there's this highly catchy beat that also has a hip-hop feel, giving this song an overall mainstream radio hit type of soundscape. The use of strings mixed with the modern production reminded me of some songs by Coldplay and The Chainsmokers.
My Ex Would've Left By Now
Have you ever felt like you're not good enough, and that your internal battles with yourself are affecting the relationship that you're in and you're scared of letting them down? "My Ex Would've Left By Now" is a message to the person you love, letting them know you would never want to lose them despite the way things may seem. You're showing your appreciation that they're even still around and being patient with you and your problems, because nobody else would be putting up with it. Cole takes the lead vocals on this one, singing gently in a whispery and heartbreaking tone. The instrumentation focuses heavily on guitar, a simple beat and some orchestral strings. Perhaps one of the most impressive things about this track is the way Cole creates this wonderous arrangement of backup vocals for himself. Sometimes you can't even tell it's a voice because it's so elaborate.
Morning Comes
Moving onto "Morning Comes", it continues those themes of fighting your inner demons and not feeling good enough. It's about having trouble letting go and letting love in, and not fully committing in fear of getting your heartbroken. When you've been hurt in the past, it's really hard to let people close to you again, even if part of you really wants to. The style takes more of a folk and Americana inspired approach, with bright piano keys and a pedal steel guitar played by Dakota Holden. This song has a strong drumline and a flourishing instrumentation that feels full and real. The vocals blend together with an effect that almost sounds underwater in this really cool and distorting way.
Baby I Love You
"Baby I Love You" has a nostalgic beat and groove, with sweet acoustic guitar, piano, sings and more of that pedal steel. This song is about when things aren't always sunshine and rainbows with the person you love, but regardless all you know is that you still love them. Sometimes that question comes up in your head, "why exactly do I love them?"; and the answer simply is, "just because I do". There is no real reason - all you know is that you feel it and you mean it. Even when things get hard, and you say or do things that you hurt one another, nothing can shake that deep fondness and care that you have for them. You can't imagine life without them, because you've already imagined a future where they're always by your side. Cole sings in a smooth and tender tone within this song, matching the loving aura of the soundscape.
The Night Is Young
"The Night Is Young" is an alternative pop track, with experimental and electronic elements that create this immersive sonic experience. Shpresa sings in a bright tone, with a layer of a higher pitched version of the melody in unison. The overall soundscape is very ethereal, almost spiritual in it's nature. The lyrics are very cryptic, but my interpretation is that there's someone in this person's life that is always trying to bring negative energy into their life, but they want to live freely and embrace life to it's fullest. Simply put, never let anybody bring you down and do whatever makes you the happiest. The refrain is repeated like a mantra; "the night is young, and people won't stop doing the things, doing the things they love".
i'm tired
Long term relationships can take a toll on you, especially when issues you have go unresolved for too long. The repeated disappointed and lack of interest wears you down until you almost become numb. You start to feel this emotional fatigue, and even though deep down you'll always have love for this person, you start to stop caring to the point that any little sudden wrong movement could be the end of it all. "i'm tired" is about being on this edge of leaving and being exhausted in the lost connection of a relationship. This song is so simply put together in the most catchy way. The addicting beat is paired with two handed dueling rhythm piano chords and an acoustic guitar riff that is permanently stuck in my head. Cole and Shpresa sing the melody together in unison an octave away from each other. The soundscape is dark and haunting, yet danceable at the same time.
HOLY WATER
If you're lucky enough to have experienced a love like described in "HOLY WATER", then you just might've found what people like to call a soulmate. Have you ever met someone at the most perfect time in your life, and it felt like it was meant to be? Almost like they saved you when you needed it the most, and you did the same for them? That's what "HOLY WATER" is all about - when it feels like your two souls were destined to meet and to be together, and now everything in life is better because you have them and they have you. The soundscape here is powerful, heavenly and has classical tones. The piano and orchestral strings stand out and are paired with heavy, cinematic drums. Shpresa shows off her soft, angelic side, showing just how diverse her voice is. The song is executed in such a wonderous way that feels spiritual and divine, just like it's name.
Dragon
"Dragon" is about how we live in a world full of blissful ignorance, and with people who blind themselves from reality by self-medicating with alcohol and drugs; but for those who don’t live in delusion and face the reality we live in, it really affects our mental health. However, there’s many days that we don’t show it. We mask our true feelings with fake smiles, pretending like everything is okay amidst the choas that is clearly displayed right in front of our eyes. All we want is another out there who understands us, who we can share these dark feelings with. “Dragon” uses a gentle electric guitar as it’s core instrument. A picking pattern is played through out with a noteable pounding drum. Between the varieties of cinematic and Celtic-like percussion choices and Cole’s chanty vocals, this song has more of a folk rock approach.
The Builder (För J. Blom)
“The Builder”, and the closing track on this album is a stunning, orchestral instrumental dedicated in the memory of Hans Johan Blom, a builder and a friend to flora cash. The song features Djordje Milanovic and Yoed Nir, who contributed with viola, violin and cello. The song not only is to honor builders and their under appreciated trade as well as their friend, but the immense grief that came along with losing him too soon. They used tools such as hammers, saws and bricks as percussion instruments to really emphasis the meaning of this song, which I thought was such a clever and beautiful detail. As the song progresses, you start to notice how it builds and intensifies in emotion. You can feel the pain that flora cash was going through when they lost their friend and when they were writing this music. It’s crazy how sometimes you don’t need words to express how you’re feeling and for others to understand exactly what you’re trying to convey.
flora cash is one of the most unique and diverse pop artists we have today and in the best way possible. There isn't a single song that sounds the same on this album, but each one is perfectly crafted to catch your attention and written in a way that connects and relates with common society. There's everything from commercial pop, dark and experimental production, folk, hip-hop beats, and even classical and cinematic themes. I love the way Cole and Shpresa are able to impressively and uniquely alter their vocal tones to match whatever emotion, style and atmosphere their singing in. Both their creative and personal chemistry together is undeniable and it shines through so strong in their music. The raw emotion in every song is so powerful, it grasps you and it's impossible to ignore. Perhaps one of the best things about the songs on this album and about flora cash as as artists all together is how honest they are. Those conflicting and contrasting feelings that we fight in our heads as humans every day; they're realistic and they're not talked about enough. "behind every beautiful thing" is exactly what people need to hear. If you loved this album, flora cash has an incredibly impressive discography that I suggest you dive into. Also, make sure to follow them on their socials below to keep up with them. There's no stopping them anytime soon!
Written By Kaitlyn Nicole
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