It was back in 2016 that we (FRUK) were first introduced to Itasca, the folk project of California songwriter Kayla Cohen, when she released Open to Chance. According to the latest press, it was soon after this release that she escaped Los Angeles for a six-month retreat to a 100-year-old adobe house in rural New Mexico.
It was while tucked away in New Mexico that Cohen wrote the ten songs of Spring there, inspired by the region’s vast isolation and rich cultural history. The album’s title refers to the desert’s sparse water sources, which Cohen envisions as “the search for true connection to the earth, the seductive nature of answers… the dusty spring deep in the mind that keeps us sifting.”
Spring is out November 1 on Paradise Of Bachelors and features contributions from James Elkington, Chris Cohen, and members of Bitchin’ Bajas, Gun Outfit, and Sun Araw.
Take a listen to the lead single ‘Bess’s Dance’ below which “provides a metaphorical key to the record’s concept, with a glimpse of the Basketmaker culture’s woven artefacts, functional art objects that so fascinated Cohen that she found herself dreaming their patterns.
It is available for pre-order in physical and digital format.
http://www.itascalosangeles.com/
Photo credit: Joanne Kim