Florist began in the Catskill Mountains as the friendship project of Emily Sprague, Rick Spataro, and Jonnie Baker, later joined by Felix Walworth. Holdly (2015) and The Birds Outside Sang (2016) captured the earliest moments of that bond; hushed, homespun songs shaped equally by intimacy and resilience. The latter was written in the aftermath of Sprague’s near-fatal bike accident, beginning in solitude and concluding with the band’s return to each other, offering a portrait of healing, community, and the power of sound shared among friends. These recordings became cornerstones of Florist’s world: quiet yet expansive, deeply personal yet instantly connective. In the years since, Florist has carried those themes forward across four more full-lengths. If Blue Could Be Happiness (2017) offered a meditation on grief and memory, while Emily Alone (2019) distilled Sprague’s voice into stark, solitary reflections before the band reunited for the expansive, self-titled Florist (2022), a culmination of their collaborative spirit. Most recently, Jellywish (2025) found the quartet embracing surrealism and possibility, holding both the magic and weight of existence at once. A decade on, the reissue of Holdly and The Birds Outside Sang highlights the origins of that journey, preserving the tenderness and friendship at Florist’s core while tracing the roots of a band that continues to evolve with wonder and care.
