A Review of Emily Anderson: 'In The Garden'
Picture a baby on a knee, a friend mid-sentence, and a songwriter realising that the ordinary moment in front of her is the whole point.
That small scene is where 'In The Garden' took root, and it has bloomed into one of the quietly loveliest indie-folk singles of the autumn. Released on 16 October, it is the first glimpse of Emily Anderson's third album, Be Everything, due in spring 2027.
Anderson, a Los Angeles songwriter originally from Fairbanks, Alaska, has always had a knack for finding humour and tenderness in the details of everyday life. Here she turns that gift towards friendship, and towards one of its most overlooked rewards: knowing someone across several chapters of their life, then looking back over all the growth, expansion and change. It is a rarely sung-about kind of love, and she handles it with a feather-light touch.
The single is warm, hazy and nostalgic, with lush indie-folk arrangements that feel like late sunlight falling through leaves. Grammy-winning producer Sarah Tudzin, known for her work with boygenius and Eliza McLamb, gives the song plenty of room to breathe while keeping Anderson's voice and storytelling firmly in the foreground. There is a confiding quality to the delivery, as though she is telling you all this across a kitchen table rather than from a stage.
The emotional centre is a gentle act of self-forgiveness. Anderson admits she often feels "behind" or stuck playing catch-up in her own life, yet her happiest moments come when she is simply present with the people she loves. Time is moving whether she fights it or not, so what if she chooses to enjoy what she has? Few songs make that argument so persuasively without sounding like a motivational poster.
The comparisons to Kacey Musgraves and Phoebe Bridgers are easy to understand, and one reviewer's description of stories that "shine with a smile and a smirk" fits perfectly. Her song 'The Light' has already found a home on Netflix's Virgin River, while 'Gold' from her album Salt & Water appeared in a Miller Lite campaign. A music video follows in the coming weeks. With an opening chapter this assured, Be Everything looks well worth the wait.
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