In response to the recent catastrophic wildfires in Los Angeles, Little Mazarn, hemlock and Jolie Holland have come together to organise If I Could Only Fly, a benefit compilation in support of Sweet Relief. “In November of 2024, [we] went into the studio to record an EP with our friend Jolie Holland,” explains Little Mazarn’s Lindsey Verrill. “The vibe in the studio was heavy, we were recording on election Tuesday and avoiding the news which inevitably reached us all later that night. The songs we recorded […] captured that heaviness but also something else, a deep feeling of being held by our togetherness, despite it all!”
When news of the fires broke in January 2025, Verrill’s mind returned to this feeling. “The faces I was seeing online of people who were fleeing, who lost everything, were friends, family, and collaborators,” they continue. “The helpless darkness was creeping in. I grasped for that feeling, that feeling of being held and together and supported that threaded through the music we created on Election Day. I called up Jolie and Carolina about our comp idea.”
The resulting release features over forty tracks by an array of talent, including VSF favs like Karima Walker, Advance Base, Tobacco City, Macie Stewart, Allegra Krieger, Squirrel Flower, Claire Rousay, Lisa/Liza, Stephen Steinbrink, Tasha, Eliza Niemi, Sophia Corinne and many others. But where some compilations which take the maximalist approach end up with a disparate, scattergun feel, If I Could Only Fly maintains a clear, uniting vibe despite the diversity of its artists. A sense of cohesion and togetherness which hints at the radical potential within the collective, something we need to remember now more than ever as the suite of challenges which marks the contemporary moment only widens and deepens. As Verrill continues:
I feel like coming together an creating a Thing like a Comp not only raises cold hard cash for the people that need it now (and we could all be next) it weaves us together in song and solidarity, reminds us we have each other, adds our names to the list of those we could turn to, whether it is the artists who contribute or the dear ears who listen, share, and support. These things matter when things are hard. They matter always
‘If I could only fly’ a comp for LA Wildfire Relief is out now and available from Bandcamp.
Cover art by Lili Todd