Written by Hazel Rain

Indie-folk band Florist captures the heartbreaking magic of being alive in their newest album Jellywish; ten soothing, ambient tracks that act as a friend who shares a moment of understanding for listeners. While comforting, the album reminds people to remember that so much of the suffering in the world is created by humans, and that there is a constant, desperate need for change.

Florist is a friendship project based in Brooklyn, New York, made up of four members: Emily Sprague, Rick Spataro, Felix Walworth, and Jonnie Baker. Jellywish was released on April 4, 2025 under the record label Double Double Whammy. It was engineered by Rick Spataro, mixed by Alex P. Wernquest and Rick Spataro at Basement Floods, and mastered by Josh Bonat. The beautiful album artwork was created by Vera Haddad.

All songs are composed by Sprague, who described the album as “different from past Florist releases in that it does not offer the solution of inner peace or beautiful conclusions.” Many of the songs make this clear in a simple way, such as the line “should anything be pleasure when suffering is everywhere” in the first track “Levitate.” Sprague manages to blend hope and pain in a way that creates an immersive experience in empathy and humanity. 

The album flows very intentionally, beginning with the quiet, acoustic song “Levitate” and ending similarly with “Gloom Designs,” accompanied by soft guitar and rain noises. The instrumentation ebbs and flows throughout, ranging from clear vocals, fingerpicking, and soft piano, to gritty guitar solos, light percussion, glitching background noises and distorted vocals. While the accompaniment remains minimal throughout, it is never too simple. Both the instrumentation and stylistic choices shift between hope and sadness in a way that mirrors the real world. The meditative songs resemble poetry, often lacking choruses but containing repeated lyrics to get lost in. The lack of structure is reminiscent of the societal topics and themes of the album.

Turning intimate moments into something relatable, Sprague tackles how much love and hope can be found in the world, without shying away from the many harsh realities. They write about love in a poignant way, with the lyrics “there’s no evil in your eyes” in “Sparkle Song” and “it’s been a long time since we laughed until we cried / it’s been a short time in the entirety of life” in “Gloom Designs.” “You cut your hair off and started to glow” captures the feeling of watching someone become themself and loving them more for it in the track “Started to Glow.” Death remains a steady theme, reminding us that everything is temporary, but that there is so much to love in the meantime. The album invites listeners to accept their emotions without shame. 

Lyrics about the natural world add vivid imagery to the listening experience, with descriptions of rivers and waterfalls, red sunrises, the desert sky, and morning dirt. While Jellywish is lovely at any point of the year, it provides a comfort to the winter months, with descriptions of gardens dying in the freezing cold and ice. In addition, the song “Jellyfish” asks the question “will there still be winter in a year?”

On the surface it seems like Florist has created a new, magical reality to escape to with this album, until you realize these slices of life portrayed can be found just outside the window. A reminder that you can be small and important at the same time.

You can listen to Jellywish out now as well as on vinyl and cd.