Angel Olsen – "All The Good Times" (new single)

Angel Olsen is at the top of our list when it comes to our favorite songwriters out there right now. We’ve covered her since the early days of her career (and ours). Since then, Olsen has become a true superstar. Whether it’s the throwback rock tracks of MY WOMAN or her takes on ’80s pop songs on Aisles, Olsen’s music always delivers an experience for listeners to lose themselves in.

Not even a pandemic can slow this tour-de-force. Last year, Olsen released a single with Sharon Van Etten. Currently, she’s touring with Van Etten and Julien Baker. As big as that announcement was, nothing overshadows the news of the Asheville-based singer-songwriter’s first proper album since All Mirrors graced our ears in 2019.

“All The Good Times” is the first single from Angel Olsen’s upcoming Big Time. The single starts out like an old-school sad country song, complete with steel guitar underscoring the verses. Halfway through, the song erupts in a big way with some incredible harmonies and triumphant horns. As the song winds itself down from that huge moment, Olsen repeats “thanks for the free ride, and all of the good times“. We likewise repeat the words, thanking Olsen for this magnificent gift.

The song comes from a record that Olsen wrote when finally being able to embrace her own queerness. In a press release for the record, Olsen describes the freedom that coming out to her parents made her feel, a feeling that quickly turned to tragedy as both of her parents would pass away shortly after. After such loss, Olsen spent a month recording Big Time, which is rooted both in the joy and loss experienced in such a short time.

“Guess It’s time to wake up from the trip we’ve been on
So long farewell, this is the end
I’ll always remember you just like a friend
And the way that you said
-as heavy as lead
-Oh you’ve always known how to get straight to my head-
Thanks for the free ride and all of the good times!”