She was raised in St Louis, Missouri, as one of eight children, having been adopted aged three by her foster parents, who were already retired when she came along. They were written during an eventful period in Olsen’s life. The title is ambiguous – does it mean success, is it a point of emphasis, a declaration of certainty, or all three? – but the songs are clear-eyed, softer, more personal and more direct. The obsessions this time were Neil Young, Big Star, Dolly Parton and Dusty Springfield. Its sound nods to Americana and the country music that has always trickled through her various incarnations. I think that’s why I end up leaning into different genres, because the obsession makes it new again.” Her last EP, Aisles, was a synth-heavy collection of 80s covers, though she admits that hopping around different genres makes it difficult to come up with a coherent setlist.īig Time is another departure. Instead, she says: “I follow my obsessions. When she is living her life in a different way, at home in Asheville, North Carolina, she doesn’t play music often.
I think that’s why I end up leaning into different genres’ … Angel Olsen.