Exquisitely crafted, moody, whimsical indie-folk
Wildlife Freeway, the artist moniker of songwriter Sunny Atema, has released her debut album Sunny.
The album features a collection of exquisitely crafted, moody, whimsical indie-folk songs that courageously plunge into the depths of human emotion.
“A wildlife freeway is a bridge for animals to safely cross over busy roads, so when we humans are rushing off in cars to our parties, the animals can get to their forest fairy parties too,” says Atema on the project and album. “The name also speaks of wildness and life on the road. The actual road, putting in the miles, brings us eye to eye, connecting without a screen between.”
A few years back after her beloved dog passed away, Sunny Atema packed her real upright piano in the back of her station wagon and toured the entire US. “I was so sad, I died too. I felt like a kite whose string was cut loose, longing for Earth,” she explains. The music shows were raw, both painful and joyful, surrounded by the perfect presence of people beckoning her back to their shared world when she felt disconnected from it. It was in New Orleans on that very tour that she was introduced to Alex Ebert, and soon after they entered the studio together.
“I don’t normally produce other artists, so when Sunny showed up at the studio unannounced, I had no notion of producing anything,” Ebert recalls. “But as soon as she sat down at the baby grand, I was inspired. This was a uniquely personal kind of music. I approached the production itself delicately, as if the songs themselves would shatter to pieces if a callous move was made. I wanted to make sure the whole album felt the way I felt when I first heard her at my studio – like we are each being let in on a secret.”
Attending a Wildlife Freeway performance is a unique, deep experience that is not easy to summarize. Some say it’s jazz, or storytelling, folk, pop, or hypnosis! Alongside the smooth well-trod highway of predictable rock shows, Wildlife Freeway is an intrepid path in the thickets and wilds creating unique, unforgettable musical experiences.
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