Squirrel Flower — the moniker of Chicago-based musician Ella Williams — presents her new single/video, “Alley Light,” from her forthcoming album, Tomorrow’s Fire (Polyvinyl Records), out October 13, 2023. Williams cites artists like Bruce Springsteen as fonts of inspiration for Tomorrow’s Fire, musicians who knew how to write into the mind of a stranger, who could tell you the story of a life in under four minutes. Nowhere is this heard more clearly than on “Alley Light,” an electrifying song narrated from the perspective of a down-on-his-luck guy whose car is fated to die any day, and whose girl just wants to escape.

Despite its vintage sheen, “Alley Light” captures the very familiar feelings of loss that come with living in a 21st-century city, where you blink and the storefronts change. The accompanying “Alley Light” video — helmed by Weird Life Productions, and featuring the artwork and studio of Gwen Yen Chiu — sees Williams in the role of a scoundrel, abandoning her flame-resistant coveralls for a  loose-fitting suit as she traverses late-night city streets.

Of the track, Williams adds: “This song is about the man in me, or a man who I love, or a man who is a stranger to me. The video references a neo-noir Chicago heist movie where they use this thermal metal contraption to cut into a safe. They run around the city making sparks fly and getting up to no good. I wanted to do all that.”

SQUIRREL FLOWER TOUR DATES (new dates in bold)
Thu. Aug. 24 – Chicago, IL @ Salt Shed $
Thu. Oct. 19 – Detroit, MI @ Lager House %
Fri. Oct. 20 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Tavern %
Sat. Oct. 21 – Toronto, ON @ Monarch Tavern ~
Sun. Oct. 22 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Bottlerocket Social Hall ~
Tue. Oct. 24 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall &
Thu. Oct. 26 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom &
Fri. Oct. 27 – Philadelphia, PA @ Ukie Club %
Sat. Oct. 28 – Washington, DC @ DC9 &
Sat. Nov. 4 – Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade
Sun. Nov. 5 – Brighton, UK @ The Hope and Ruin
Mon. Nov. 6 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
Tue. Nov. 7 – Manchester, UK @ Gullivers
Thu. Nov. 9 – Edinburgh, UK @ Voodoo Rooms
Sat. Nov. 11 – London, UK @ Pitchfork Music Festival London – EartH (Downstairs)
Mon. Nov. 13 – Paris, FR @ Supersonic
Wed. Nov. 15 – Rotterdam, NL @ V11
Thu. Nov. 16 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique
Sat. Nov. 18 – Berlin, DE @ Lark
Sat. Jan. 20 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th Street Entry ^
Sun. Jan. 21 –  Omaha, NE @ Reverb Lounge ^
Tue. Jan. 23 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge ^
Thu. Jan. 25 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court ^
Fri. Jan. 26 – Boise, ID @ The Shredder ^
Sat. Jan. 27 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios ^
Mon. Jan. 29 – Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou’s
Wed. Jan. 31 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill ^
Fri. Feb. 2 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room *
Sat. Feb. 3 – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room *
Sun. Feb. 4 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Rebel Lounge *
Tue. Feb. 6 –  Austin, TX @ The Ballroom ∞
Wed. Feb. 7 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada ∞
Thu. Feb. 8 –  Fayetteville, AR @ George’s Majestic Lounge ¢
Fri. Feb. 9 – St. Louis, MO @ Blueberry Hill Duck Room ¢
Sat. Feb. 10 – Nashville, TN @ Third Man Records – Blue Room ¢
Mon. Feb. 12 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade – Purgatory ¢
Wed. Feb. 14 –  Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle – Back Room ¢
Thu. Feb. 15 – Richmond, VA @ The Camel ¢
Fri. Feb. 16 – Woodstock, NY @ Colony ¢
Sat. Feb. 17 – Amherst, MA @ The Drake ¢
 
$ w/ Beach Bunny
% w/ Truth Club
~ w/ Merce Lemon
& w/ Knifeplay
^ w/ Goon
* w/ Cryogeyser
∞ w/ alexalone
¢ w/ Greg Mendez