Flashlight Podcast

ALFIE TEMPLEMAN | Turning 20, Touring Routines, and Ariel Days

UK indie pop artist Alfie Templeman got signed by his label at 15, and he's been with them ever since. But as he enters his 20s, he feels more pressure than he ever did as a teen. "I’ve never really had that sheer intensity that you get when you turn a certain age [until] I turned 20 this year," he told Flashlight. "It was this massive weight on me all of a sudden. As someone that's kind of known as a teenager making these songs, is it not as impressive now that I'm 20?" • On this episode of Flashlight podcast, we chat about how your place in the music industry shifts as you hit your twenties, making dreamlike-folky music as Ariel Days, and managing ADHD and burnout while touring. • This episode was recorded in New York and London in March 2023. Graphic by Flashlight Podcast, Press Image by Lillie Eiger.

WESLEY PREIS | Songwriting, Sharing, Siken, and Closure

Infusing jazz and indie influences into her music, 20 year old singer and songwriter Wesley Preis has a sophistication to her sound that beautifully compliments the vulnerability of her lyrics. Hailing from San Diego, Wesley Preis currently studies at UCSD and has opened for the likes of Olive Klug at the Moroccan Lounge in Los Angeles. Preis has garnered a fair bit of TikTok fame — namely for her viral video beeping the introduction to Radiohead’s “No Surprises,” which received over 750k views on the app and almost 200k likes. It seems for Preis that the effortless videos are what simultaneously showcases her talent and humor. Most recently, a video of her creating a Mindcraft rendition of Lucy Dacus’ “Night Shift” gained over 160k views, and a creative mash-up of Dear Evan Hansen and Ice Spice accumulated over 650k. Most notably, her song “Loose Fitting Bedsheet” struck a cord with listeners on the app, and has already received almost 200,000 streams on Spotify. On this episode of Flashlight Podcast, we break down the story behind the track, explore what makes a good or bad relationship, and talk a little too much about Richard Siken.

HALF WAIF | Navigating grief and sadness through the transformative abilities of art

“When we know grief, when we touch loss, it just puts into relief even stronger what it means to feel joy and to feel love.” Nandi Rose – who creates music under the name Half Waif – believes in the transformative abilities of art to give shape to the intangibility of sadness and loss. Writing from a place of solitude and self-reflection, Rose is able to pour the vulnerability and afflictions of the human experience into her music and turn this source of pain into a celebration of life. Currently, the Hudson Valley-based artist is working on her sixth album, following the surrealist record ‘Mythopoetics’ (2021). Her new work is going back to basics, bringing in guitar and live performances while stepping away from more electronic sounds, and tapping into feelings of grief and loss brought to the forefront in Rose’s life after experiencing a miscarriage last year. Rose's interest in making music stems in part from a place of needing to unveil her personal sadness in an encapsulated and isolated space, but even more so from the desire to celebrate the ability to share even our most painful experiences with the world and connect with one another through them. On this episode of Flashlight Podcast, we explore the balancing of dichotomies in Rose’s creative processes, her upcoming album, and using the transformative powers of art to navigate grief, loss, and sadness.

ZACHARY KNOWLES | Stop Being Your Own 'Goalie'

Zachary Knowles released his latest EP 'Goalie' earlier in October, a project that narrates his mental health journey, exploring how oftentimes he was his own "goalie" when it came to personal growth. Flashlight spoke to Knowles ahead of the EP's release about the inspiration behind the project and the process of facing anxiety head-on and becoming more comfortable talking about your mental health. In this episode of Flashlight Podcast, Knowles breaks down songs on the EP and shares his hopes for the new album – that being open and vulnerable about mental health can encourage others to speak out on their own as well. (This episode was originally recorded and released in October 2022).

ANNIE DIRUSSO | Finding Growth in Parallels & "Call It All Off"

This week on Flashlight Podcast, we're joined by Nashville-based singer-songwriter Annie DiRusso, who recently released her new single "Call It All Off." In this episode, DiRusso explores the parallels between her most gut-wrenching song "Infinite Jest" and her empowering track "Nine Months," as well as the inspiration behind the new single. We talk about the process of leaving an unhealthy relationship – the before, during, and after – and how writing about these relationships can bring feelings of shame or guilt while still in them, but can also help make sense of your experience. DiRusso is currently on tour with UK indie-rock artist Declan McKenna and opened for HAIM in Nashville in late-September. She'll be headlining a few dates this year as well as performing at Briston Maroney's Paradise Festival, also held in Nashville. Cover Photo by Anna Koblish | Graphic by Flashlight Podcast