“The song is about the juxtaposition of feeling small in an endless universe while reflecting on the significance of my own birth and existence,” Frances shared. “It’s about learning to move slowly through the world, listening to nature, and trusting that I can find my answers within.”
She further explained how this single was the cornerstone for the full record, and how she’d been inspired by an album cover created by her friend Adrian Crowley, “a still life of different objects including nails, a seahorse, ash, and shells.” See continued, “Later on I dreamt I was swimming in the sea close to dark somewhere off the coast of Mayo. I looked up at the sky and saw his album cover looking back at me. It appeared real; the seahorse and nail on the horizon with all the planets and stars made of stone and ash. In the dream, I asked Adrian about it and he told me it wasn’t a still life after all, but actually the sky when seen at night in a special part of Mayo from a particular angle, when you walk out to the Atlantic Ocean. It was to be kept a secret because the world wasn’t ready to know about it yet. I wrote ‘This Still Life’ the next day, and a week later began recording “Protector” with my band.”
Watch the Ella Margolin–directed video for “This Still Life”
The Fat Angel Sings 