Ester—the full-band realization of Chicago songwriter Anna Holmquist’s music—came together near the end of 2017, formed from a group of friends and creative collaborators. The band’s 2018 debut Curtains is a collection of haunting arrangements featuring stripped down acoustic guitars, deliberate percussive elements, and Anna’s lilting vocals floating atop it all.
Spring 2020 will grace us with the release Turn Around, Ester’s first full-band LP. The album is a meditation, both on major life changes and looking back at the past to understand your growth. Most of the tracks came out of a 6-month songwriting period around the beginning of Holmquist’s Saturn Return. Psychologically, the first Saturn return is seen as the time of reaching full adulthood, and being faced, perhaps for the first time, with adult challenges and responsibilities.
Enjoy the cover art for now but not even a Magic 8-Ball can prepare you for the lush sounds to come.
While you’re waiting for a first listen of the new tunes, revisit Curtains or check out this brilliant EP of ethereal Ester arrangements that are sure to take you to another place.
Turn Around will be available March 2020 via Midwest Action, stay tuned for more.
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