Ashe Captures the Multiplicity of Life in "Cold in California"
To cut to the chase, the past year has seen rising singer-songwriter Ashe release some of her finest and most moving work to date. From her lauded Moral of the Story: Chapter 1 to "In Disguise," a song we championed as the very definition of timeless songwriting, Ashe is in the midst of building a catalog prepared to stand the test of time. The Los Angeles artist's latest is living, breathing evidence of that very notion.
"Cold in California" is breathtaking, heart-rending, and eye-opening all in the same breadth. Executive produced by FINNEAS, the sonics pierce the heart like an unexpected scattered storm on a sunny California day; it is June gloom personified. More than just a beautiful collection of stirring percussion and delicately weaved guitar chords, it is the depth of Ashe's emotionally-laden songwriting that truly makes "Cold in California" such a lasting, deeply human affair.
"Don't mind what anybody told you/ It still gets cold in California/ See everbody thinks they know you/ They're only seeing what they wanna," Ashe confesses in a chorus for the ages. And while California is undoubtedly the central figure of Ashe's moment of introspection, the realization is far more universal, as the rising singer-songwriter expanded upon when speaking on the underlying meaning of the song,
"I love California and I also despise it. I'm from California and in many ways, this song is more about me than the place itself. I suppose that says I love and also despise myself as well. Nothing is ever one-sided or perfect or right all the time. I tried to explain this feeling in 'Cold in California.' It's the best way I've personally described my love/hate relationship with myself and Los Angeles so far."
In the span of just over three spellbinding minutes, Ashe touches upon the inherent multiplicity of life - the notion that there cannot be joy without pain, pain without joy. "Cold in California" is a song for those existential moments of contemplation, where even under the beating sun, you feel a strange cold emanating from within.
Listen to "Cold in California" below and be sure to catch Ashe on her Ones To Watch - presented 'Mom's First Headline Tour' this fall:
