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

The post If I Could Only Fly: A Comp For LA Wildfire Relief appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Blood Warrior – Wooden Shade
Rosie Tucker – How Sad, How Lovely (Connie Converse cover)
Fran – Company
JAYA – Learn To Swim
Taylor Hamilton – What Is Real?
Carver Baronda – If Nothing Else Comes Along
Rose Dorn – Deathwish
Milly – Crazy Horse
Guidon Bear – Washing Machine
Joey Nebulous – Pride Month
Dorio – Shortcuts
Special Friend – Before
Sarah Pagé – Lithium Taper
Old Amica – Condensation
Blushing – Dream Merchants
Patient Hands – Stasis
Bryce Kepner – Chances
Jake Bellissimo – why fit? (Jordaan Mason cover)

The post September 2019 Roundup appeared first on Various Small Flames.

Lead single ‘Company’ gives a taste what to expect, drawing on an uncomfortable moment and responding with a cutting ferocity. “Trump had just been elected, and I was meeting friends for trivia at a strange bar at like 7pm,” Jacobson remembers. “I got there a little early so I was waiting at the bar when a drunk man sidled up to me. He proceeded to put his arm around me and at a certain point, he told me ‘you should be more confident!'”

The situation was as embarrassing as it was infuriating, something only accentuated by the complex mixture of fear and politeness that rendered her passive. With ‘Company’, Fran returns to the scene with the advantage of distance, reclaiming agency from the very moment that stripped it, and thereby rewriting the unwritten codes of the patriarchy.

“I remember an episode of Sex and the City where Miranda kept getting catcalled by these construction workers,” Jacobson continues. “Finally one day she said something like “Ok let’s do it! Let’s have sex!’ And the worker said, “woah lady, jeez, back off, I’m married.’ ‘Company’ is born of a similar response, adjusting the imbalanced expectations of men and women to meet aggression and assault head on, returning fire with the intensity at which it is received.

The song comes complete with a video by Reilly Drew which mines deeper into the themes of the track. “I wanted to explore the traditionally male-dominated spaces and dig into the absurdity of that entitlement,” Jacobson explained to Paste Magazine. “And it is ridiculous at this point because the tide is changing so much. I think everyone is tired of all-male bills, condescending sound guys and unsafe, aggressive music spaces.”

A Private Picture is out on Fire Talk Records on the 15th November and you can pre-order it now from the Fran Bandcamp page.

Photo by Reilly Drew

The post Fran – Company appeared first on Various Small Flames.