LISTEN: Noele Flowers Molds Breezy Rainy Day Pop On “Portland”

“Portland ‘‘, the latest folk-pop single from NYC-based Noele Flowers, is a breezy but deliberate arrangement perfectly suited to accompany the sentimental musings bound to pop up in the frigid tail-end of December. The soft-toned arpeggiated electric guitar chords combined with the doubled vocals provide plenty of movement and atmosphere as Flowers wistfully replays the scenes of a relationship in which she found herself the more invested party. “Portland” is leading up to a six-song EP to be released in the winter of 2023. 

“I wrote “Portland” after going through a falling out with a friend. It’s about the experience of feeling like you want to prioritize your friends and put them at the center of your life, and the disillusionment of realizing that some people view friendship more as a form of entertainment—something they only want in their lives when it’s fun. I think friend breakups can be especially hard because there’s no cultural script for getting through them like there is for romantic relationships—that’s why I wanted to make art about this experience,” says Flowers.