Built around Sierra Spirit’s crystalline vocals and the atmospheric-yet-intimate production of Grammy winner Dan Wilson (Semisonic, Adele), “Walls” finds the Oklahoma-bred singer/songwriter fielding the competing emotions that accompany chasing after a larger life beyond the place that made you. All that uncertainty is funneled through imagery inspired by an oddball American landmark.
“The song is about the mixed feelings that come with moving from home—the assurance you have that it was the right decision for you, paired with the guilt of leaving people behind,” says Spirit, who remains deeply connected to her Otoe-Missouria and Keetoowah Cherokee roots, frequently drawing inspiration from the time she spent near tribal reservations.
And while San Jose, Calif.’s Winchester Mystery House may be 1,700 miles away from her Tulsa hometown, it’s a weirdly perfect metaphor for what Spirit was looking to convey on “Walls.”
“The house was continuously built for 26 years straight by the heiress to the Winchester Arms fortune in an effort to appease the spirits of those killed by Winchester rifles,” says Spirit. “There are 160 rooms, doors that open into walls and stairs that go nowhere. To tie all that back in, I had to force myself to grow and move into a new season of life out of fear that if I didn’t, I’d feel a lot like the Winchester House.”
We’re proud to premiere Sierra Spirit’s “Walls.” Her Wilson-produced EP, Rodeo Clown (Giant), is out today.
—Hobart Rowland
