Spotlight: Indie-Folk Band Bellflower Explores Growth and Acceptance in Debut EP ‘Looking for Signs’
FRIENDSHIP AND A PASSION FOR SONGWRITING IS AT THE CORE OF — the Bellingham-based band Bellflower. The group has an amazing energy that they bring to their music and performances. Their sound seamlessly blends indie-rock, folk, and alt. Bellflower began in 2022 as an acoustic duo and is now made up of four members: Electra Richards, Eric Ormseth, Lauren Wallach, and Liam White. Their first EP, Looking for Signs, released on Aug. 22.
Bellflower put out their first single, “Sleepwalking,” in July 2023, as a trio, before the group had fully expanded. Last December, Richards performed a solo set at Garden Palace, a venue in Bellingham, WA, with the other two members of the band at the time in the audience. The other artist on the bill was Ormseth, who the group enjoyed so much that they invited him to collaborate and join the band in 2024. While “Sleepwalking” is a strong, emotional track, Looking for Signs showcases the layers each musician is able to add, as well as how well they support each other as a larger group.
For the members of Bellflower, their favorite track off the EP constantly changes, showing the strength each one has. The short and sweet collection features “Antihistamines,” “Lemon Juice,” and “Born in July.” The tracksexplore acceptance of emotions, growth, maternal relationships, and figuring out life in your early twenties.
“The part of the song that ‘looking for signs’ is from and the name of the EP feels like different sentences,” Wallach shares. “I feel like we are both people that are looking for reassurance and a little wink from the universe, and that's what the title of the EP is to me.”
Looking for Signs is perfect for summer, with a hopeful sound that holds space for pain, and beautiful lines such as “I just want someone to hold me, like summer holds the sun.” The album cover matches the summery feel, a warm and colorful collage created by artist and friend of the band Scout Smissen, founder of the Garden Palace community.
The songs on this EP were co-written by Richards and Wallach, starting out quiet and acoustic and growing over time.
“They really had an evolution,” Richards says. “I do consider that part of the writing process. Obviously, we wrote the scaffolding of the song, but we've been building from there, and Liam and Eric have added a lot that makes the songs completely different.”
In addition to the growth in sound, the meanings of the songs have changed as well. “Antihistamines” began as an experience of wallowing in emotions and has since shifted to a feeling of empowerment for the artists.
“I love how it’s changed throughout because it’s been more than a year since it was shown to me, and it was such a sad little tune,” White shares. “Then the drums added more, and Eric’s guitar added to that. It feels like a completely different song.”
The friendship between everyone in Bellflower is clear and true, and it is easy to see that they are better musicians for it. The fondness for each other has led to the group feeling comfortable expressing themselves through their music, and an ability to understand each other without words.
In addition to the community the group has created, they feel supported by the Bellingham music scene. Audiences are often made up of musicians who have seen each other perform at previous shows, and the music and physical art community are very intertwined, as well. “Nobody can succeed on their own I feel like, so everyone helps each other, and then everybody succeeds,” Ormseth says.
Bellflower is made up of passionate, talented artists who will undoubtedly continue to grow in the music scene, with upcoming releases and performances everyone should keep an eye out for.
