Lilly Winwood’s new album Talking Walls beautifully captures a tumultuous period over the last couple of years; universally and, especially, personally. Like a lot of her performing songwriter compatriots, Winwood found herself working hard to pay the bills during that uncertain time in the music industry. “I’d be working in a restaurant all day and then at night, come 3 a.m., I’d be pulling half-written songs out of my apron,” she recalls. But through it all, Winwood never stopped writing.
Talking Walls—out now—looks back on that era gracefully and groovily, finding Winwood literally “talking to the walls” as she looks inward with new purpose. Penned over those long sleepless nights, with clear eyes and a willingness to ask tough questions, each song takes a different tack into the introspective wind—all backed by a minimalist-roots sound. The now East Nashville-based artist (and daughter of Grammy-winning British rocker Steve Winwood) simply wrote her story and brought it to her band at Nashville’s Trace Horse studio—no producer needed. The result is a stunning, musical look inside the mind of an open, honest songwriter just trying to make it through to the other side.
Fans can purchase or stream Talking Walls today at this link, and don’t forget to check out the music videos for “Keep It Spinning” and “Sleep Issues.” A list of Winwood’s tour dates can be found below or at lillywinwood.org/shows.
Talking Walls In The News:
“With its warm 70s soft rock sound and poppy hooks, it sounds like Linda Ronstadt on a road trip with the Go-Gos, bringing to mind the country-tinged glossy pop of recent albums from Pearl Charles and Lola Kirke.” - Holler
“Americana standout Lilly Winwood is ready to soak up the moment.” - The Boot
“Winwood has a fantastic, raw spark that makes her music so unique.” - Tonic Grain
Talking Walls Tracklist:
Sleep Issues
Good Old Days
Keep it Spinning
Long Haul
Airplane
A Paper Trail of Broken Hearts
Brighter Days
Idastoned
Laundry Day
More About Talking Walls: Likening the writing process behind Talking Walls to “painting with sound,” Lilly Winwood spent hours alone with just a guitar and a pen, getting to know herself and the world she’d long kept at arm’s length. No longer trying to impress anyone, each track features the weary sense of freedom that comes with letting down one’s guard—and the title itself speaks to that freedom. Part of the resilient ballad, “Long Haul,” Talking Walls is a tribute to how the songs were written and the change they instilled.
“It’s an ode to letting people down—but for a good reason,” she says. “There’s a line that says ‘Learning how to read a room / By talking to the wall,’ and it was like trying to figure out how to be around people again…but I need to be myself first.”
Likewise, she mixes a steady throb of up-all-night angst with a gentle country-rock vibe of dreamy clarity in “Sleep Issues.” “Airplane” reaches new spiritual altitudes with its slide-guitar soul rock. “A Paper Trail of Broken Hearts” investigates the failed love of acid trips gone by, and “Idastoned” uses 12-string guitar and bluesy vocals to create a jaunty blast of old-time pop.
Meanwhile, the album-closing “Laundry Day” is both stained by heartbreak, and liberated by the end of a romantic cycle. Both heady and built around the most mundane of chores, it’s a fitting reminder that in this unpredictable world, hearts can wash clean when you least expect it – and so can creative souls.
“I want this to inspire people to keep going with their art,” Winwood says. “Even though it may seem like they’re not in a good space now, don’t give up on it. Keep talking to the walls.”
Catch Lilly Winwood On Tour:
Sept. 7 - Rocky Mount, VA - Harvester Performance Center*
Sept. 9 - Norfolk, CT - Infinity Hall Norfolk*
Sept. 10 - Fall River, MA - Narrows Center for the Arts*
Sept. 11 - Hartford, CT - Infinity Hall Hartford*
Sept. 13 - Albany, NY - The Egg - Swyer Theatre*
Sept. 15 - Fairfield, CT - StageOne*
Sept. 16 - Natick, MA - Center for Arts In Natick*
Sept. 17 - Sellersville, PA - Sellersville Theatre*
Sept. 18 - Wilmington, DE - The Queen*
Oct. 13 - Sarasota, FL - Big Top Brewing Company
Oct. 14 - Bradenton, FL - Big Top Brewing Company
Oct. 20 - Rochester, NY - Abilene Bar & Lounge
Oct. 21 - New York, NY - The Bitter End
* = opening for Todd Snider
+ = opening for Jackie Greene
For all tour dates and ticket information, please visit lillywinwood.org/shows.
