Ashe Finds Her Freedom in ‘Willson’
Willson album cover photographed by Luke Rogers @lukemrogers on Instagram.
After taking a brief hiatus from music to focus on herself and her mental health, Ashlyn Rae Willson, better known as Ashe, has made a strong and intimate comeback with her most personal album yet. Now an independent artist, Ashe takes her time in Willson to build tension and explore her vocal range with vibrant and earthy instrumentals that complement her distinctly rich and folksy voice. However, the true star of the show is Ashe’s undeniable flair for writing powerful and heartbreaking lyrics.
The opener to Willson titled “Please Don’t Fall in Love with Me” is the perfect taste of what listeners can expect from the remainder of the album. Not only does Ashe utilize clever yet tragic metaphors to inform the pace and build tension during the song, but she is brutally self-aware and candid. What starts as a slow, melancholic, stripped-back lullaby, becomes a satisfyingly punchy and strong climax, reflecting the fear Ashe expresses in the first half of the song.
As she sings of fire and gasoline, Ashe not only worries about losing herself in a relationship but about the relationship itself bursting into flames before her very eyes: “I'm unprepared and under siege / My house is soaked in gasoline / And you're the matchstick on the wall / One strike to go and burn it all / The flames will dance in jubilee.” Ashe’s haunting but delicate vocals become more charged with anger as she continues rattling off why she fears opening up to someone else, until finally, her frustration bubbles to the surface and she is unable to hold her emotions in any longer as the song dramatically explodes into a symphony of heavy drums and hypnotizing electric guitar.
Ashe captures the ongoing feeling of freedom and nostalgia in the track “Running Out Of Time,” a celebration of taking risks, chasing your dreams, living life to the fullest, and trusting yourself and your gut instincts. An inspiring and incredibly catchy combination of drums and bells creates a melody that is almost impossible not to jump and dance around to. Ashe’s energy is contagious and inspiring, making you want to abandon your fears and pursue your wildest dreams. While told through the lens of going after someone you love, “Running Out Of Time” is also a cathartic release for Ashe after becoming an independent artist. In a way, this track may represent the creative freedom she now feels as an independent artist who gets to call all the shots and take risks.
Ashe explores similar themes to “Please Don’t Fall in Love with Me” later in the album with the songs “Hornet’s Nest” and “Devil Herself” but with fresh instrumentals and more nuanced lyrics. While the instrumentals are uplifting and inspiring in “Hornet’s Nest,” “Devil Herself” explores a similar phenomenon but with haunting piano instrumentals and some of the darkest lyrics on the album: “And, if I was a pyromaniac, you would've fetched the gasoline / Handed me the matchsticks to burn down everything / You would've told insurance agents it happened accidentally / Swept up all the ashes, and bought another house for me.”
Continuing the fire theme, Ashe sings about someone else losing and changing themselves in a relationship, but she quickly puts the blame on herself; the very thing she feared in the opening track: “I knew what I was doing, gave you something to believe / I was gathering the harvest, had you raking up the leaves / I was feeding you the apple, you were swallowing the seeds / You were Adam in the garden, but your ribs were made of me.”
Ashe contrasts the themes of “Devil Herself” in “Hornet’s Nest” by coming to terms with and moving on from the wrong relationship, instead of placing so much blame on herself: “You made me someone, for once I was someone / And finally someone to myself / But I started seeing your angels for demons / Now Heaven is hurting like Hell / We’ll drink the arsenic, set fire to the gardens / And I'll disappear with your help / ‘Cause you made me someone, for once I was someone / But you made me somebody else.” This chorus is jubilant and freeing as Ashe pairs the lyrics with a thrilling combination of drums that make you want to dance and sing along. Her instrumental and vocal versatility shine throughout the album, but flourishes with these songs specifically while she manages to deliver a balanced yet complex story, keeping the album cohesive and grounded.
“Pull The Plug,” “Cherry Trees,” and “I Hope You Die First” explore the more heartbreaking and bittersweet elements of the album as Ashe experiments with energizing crescendos and dreamy vocals and instrumentals. Ashe’s vocals on “Pull The Plug” are quaint and dreamy at first as she longs to stay frozen in place during a cheerful and carefree time in her life and relationship. However, she is painstakingly aware that life can change in an instant: “Don't pinch me in case I'm asleep / In case you're not here, 'cause this is a dream / And we've never met, so we're not in love / In case I'm asleep, don't pull the— / Don’t touch me, this coma is nice / Too good to be true, so just let me lie / Down in the sheets, 'cause here we're in love / In case I'm asleep, don't pull the plug.” The song builds to the most powerful and gorgeous bridge and outro of the album as Ashe pours her heart and soul into each note and lyric. In “I Hope You Die First,” Ashe’s lyrics are heartbreaking like many lyrics from the album, but at the same time incredibly sweet and caring: “I don't wanna die before you / Promise I'll be right behind / But I should be there to hold your hand.” “Cherry Trees” carries hints of “Pull The Plug” with the same nostalgia and liberating instrumentals of “Running Out Of Time.”
In “Cherry Trees,” Ashe comes to terms with the end of a relationship while battling mixed emotions about still wanting to be in the relationship but realizing that she has started to move on: “Carve our names in cherry trees / Spray the room with cheap perfume / Stay up late to watch me sleep / Cut my hair to look like you / Turn my stomach into knots / Kiss me like you did before / I’m so sorry I forgot / You’re not mine anymore.” The fast-paced bridge reflects her realization that she is starting to let go and move on.
"I Wanna Love You (But I Don't)" Official Music Video directed by Ashe and Luke Rogers.
“I Wanna Love You (But I Don’t)” pulls the album in a new direction as Ashe plays with her impressive vocal range to deliver a moving, tragically beautiful track. Ashe’s confusion and anger at herself are palpable as she contemplates why she could not fall in love with someone. Ashe’s rich and emotional vocals sway effortlessly alongside the more laid-back and relaxed instrumentals until she admits that she might have known her true feelings all along: “I wanna love you, but I don’t / I think I've always kinda known.” Her brutal honesty carries throughout the album, making for an authentic collection of songs that cements Ashe as an undeniable force in the music industry.
Willson continues with “Helter Skelter” and “Dear Stranger.” Instrumentals set the two songs apart, but both remain equally breathtaking and haunting with lyrics that echo the themes of the album as a whole. For example, “Helter Skelter” explores Ashe’s inner emotions as she not only navigates the end of a relationship but navigates finding herself again, while “Dear Stranger,” introduces Ashe to her listeners once again: “I am not the same, I will not be the same again / Don’t go looking for the girl you loved, her innocence is dead / And I buried all my sin inside a casket in a grave.” While Willson marks a new chapter in Ashe’s impressive career so far, she isn’t afraid to integrate some of her signature playfulness into “Dear Stranger” with a chorus that is cheeky and upbeat.
“Castle” and “Ashe,” the final song on the album, are Ashe taking back who she is, and like “Running Out Of Time,” they inspire listeners to follow their hearts and stop worrying about what others think. “Castle” is almost like a battle cry as the drums build throughout the song and Ashe’s vocals grow stronger and more confident. Willson comes to a hopeful and uplifting conclusion with “Ashe,” undoubtedly one of the most personal songs of her career so far. Ashe is hopeful for the future, while still acknowledging and accepting how finite and temporary life is: “And I hadn't addressed the shame, I confess, it was eating me alive / If you bury something so deep underneath all the laughter and the lies / Guess nobody will believe you when you finally ask for help / I’ve been crying wolf every day for a while now / I’ve been telling you I'm okay for a while now.” “Ashe” concludes with an upbeat and joyous combination of drums and guitar as Ashe lets out a final cathartic scream to mark the end of her first chapter as an independent artist.
