So this week’s New Music Friday cannot really be called new by any stretch of the imagination if we’re talking chronological time as it’s almost 2 years old at this point, but it was new to me this week and I’m guessing it’s new to all of you. I’ve been making my way through this year’s Austin 100 from NPR Music and discovered Holly Arrowsmith’s song “Slow Train Creek” yesterday. It really just spoke to me in this crazy time we’re living through right now with everything topsy turvy and isolation orders to try and stem the tide of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The music itself seems really calming and that’s something I think we can all use right now. With lyrics like “All is not well in this world we’re living in. Oh let me forget my sorrow if only for a day like I’ve got nowhere to be.” they also resonate as well. Ultimately the song is about being out in nature in a quiet place and embracing the silence and calm. Despite being forced into isolation I feel like I’ve been going non-stop trying to figure out this new reality, get set up for remote work, and spend all my other time obsessing over the news and stressing out about everything. This song seems like a very good reminder to stop and take a deep breath and perhaps embrace this forced time away from the rest of the world.