For an album that has quite sparse instrumentation, it’s amazing to see how well arranged this whole record is.

A lot of people, including myself at one point, turn their nose up to the sound of country/Americana. However, there are so many incredible modern artists in this scene it would be foolish to overlook it. Courtney Marie Andrews is an exceptional example of this. I was fortunate enough to be introduced to Courtney Marie Andrews’s music by Rough Trade’s country connoisseur Jof Owen. Andrews’s last album ‘May Your Kindness Remain’ is undoubtedly one of the best projects in the scene from 2018.  After hearing that album I couldn’t wait to hear ‘Old Flowers’ and see how she had evolved as an artist in the past two years.

‘Old Flowers’ feels like a more mature effort from Andrews, where ‘MYKR’ felt groovy at times this album feels more serious. The album sees an increase in powerful piano ballads and may see Andrews at her most emotive with masterful intimate vocals that suspend the listener. This album thematically may at times feel like a breakup album, there is definitely a sense of true heartbreak in this record. The opening track ‘Burlap String’ instantly draws you into Andrews’s smooth vocals. I love the sliding guitars in the chorus of this track. Lyrically this track opens the theme of heartbreak and break up ‘I’ve grown cautious, I’ve grown up I’m a skeptic of love’, this apparent lack of confidence in love is a topic that comes up throughout this record. I also love the double tracked vocals towards the end of the track.

‘Guilty’ is probably the best track on the album, something about those pretty piano keys and warm bass bouncing around underneath really create the perfect backdrop for Andrews’s dazzling voice. Lyrically, there’s a sense of positive reflection ‘Painful, love is painful, But I am thankful for the time we shared’ you feel Andrews appreciation for what she had on this track and there’s a delicate subtleness to the whole delivery. In an interview with Rolling Stone Andrews spoke about the origins of this record ‘Old Flowers is about heartbreak, there are a million records and songs about that, but I did not lie when writing these songs. This album is about loving and caring for the person you know you can’t be with. It’s about being afraid to be vulnerable after you’ve been hurt. It’s about a woman who is alone, but okay with that, if it means truth. This was my truth this year — my nine-year relationship ended and I’m a woman alone in the world, but happy to know herself. 

You can almost feel a tragic intensity in the subtle guitar strumming at the start of ‘If I Told’. Lyrically, things get more tragic when Andrew’s sings ‘Yes, you're anxious and you're stubborn too, But I'd learn to love the worst parts of you’ There seems to be a tense feeling that Andrews wishes to maybe not want to have to “love the worst parts” and that it seems as though there is a gut-wrenching desperation in this track. ‘Together or Alone’ is another track that is very intimate, resting mostly on a simple piano progression and Andrews’s magnificent vocals. There’s optimism in this track that you don’t feel on the three tracks that came before it. Lyrically, it sounds like Andrews is in pain or has faced some difficult situations but remains positive and hopeful.

‘Carnival Dream’ is incredibly bleak. Literally Andrews cries out ‘I may never let love in again’. You can understand the pain in this track, and Andrews worry that she won’t be able to love or have a love similar to her previous one. This track has powerful thumping drums throughout that add an almost medieval vibe to the track, definitely increasing the intensity. The title track ‘Old Flowers’ pulls you out of the intensity of the previous track and replaces it with a more optimistic feeling. This track seems to be putting up a stand. When Andrews says ‘You can’t hurt me that way anymore’ you feel this sense of self respect and pride. The piano melody at the end makes the hair stand on your skin it’s so powerful and explosive it’s in it’s delivery.

‘Break the Spell’ also feels more upbeat or positive at the very least. The simple guitar strumming and twinkling keys around it majorly compliment Andrews’s vocal delivery. You feel like the spell Andrews is trying to break in this track is her devotion to her partner who doesn’t really know the effects of their behaviour.  The keys at the end actually remind me of Rose Droll’s 2018 album ‘Your Dog’, a Still Listening Magazine favourite if you haven’t heard it.

‘It Must Be Someone Else’s Fault’ picks up on the positivity of the last track and rides high with it. Being probably the most upbeat, or sing-along song on the album there’s a real deserving feeling with this track. You can hear Andrews almost reflecting ironically stating that there are two sides to the story. The next track ‘How You Get Hurt’ starts with a sweet piano progression that sounds quite similar to the piano led tracks that preceded it. However, Andrew’s show-stealing vocals provided with a fuller arrangement coming in at the one-minute mark really beef up the track. Lyrically, this track feels more like a warning to the listener letting us know her experience of how you get hurt and how Andrews has personally been hurt.

‘Ships in the Night’ is the last track on the record and is another powerful key-driven ballad. The beautiful reverb distortion on the organs in this track is so gorgeous. The intimacy of this track, just vocals and organ are a fitting end to a powerfully intimate album about heartbreak. I love the imagery of ships in the night crossing as a metaphor for two people being in love. The imagery and lyricism throughout this project is really incredible and you can see Andrews’s convey deep emotions that must have been difficult to express.

Courtney Marie Andrews has created a really beautiful piece of work here. For an album that has quite sparse instrumentation, it’s amazing to see how well arranged this whole record is. This is an incredible step as a songwriter and artist for Andrews. The album seems so much more realised than her previous projects. All the tracks have a real powerful emotion to them and Courtney Marie Andrews take on heartbreak and break-up is at times both harrowing and sweet.