Spring Grove

Description

In the misty terrarium of the pandemic—windows fogged by breath—it was difficult to foresee the future. It was a period of intense reflection, a retreat inward. The quartet The Ophelias, hailing from Cincinnati, had just released Crocus (2021), an album they were unable to promote on tour. Yet, from this time of uncertainty and derailment was born Spring Grove, their fourth album. Spring Grove is brimming with striking reflections and that nostalgia which has become the band's hallmark—lyrical references to their favorite spots in Cincinnati, including the cemetery that inspired the album's title—but also a new, sharper perspective. There are premonitions, signs, and prophetic dreams, like a view of life from above. This stems in part from an OCD diagnosis received by singer and songwriter Spencer Peppet during the pandemic. "Dealing with medical issues brings about an heightened bodily awareness," she explains, "a form of detachment that allows me to see myself from the outside." But this new perspective also comes from the deeper understanding that accompanies maturity: the ability to perceive the flaws and schisms that a youthful gaze might overlook. The Ophelias have been around since adolescence, but Spring Grove marks an evolution in their sound and storytelling, as they cast a sharpened eye on the complex terrain of relationships and power dynamics, analyzed through the labyrinth of the mind.