Flowers For The Dead
First Place, the latest EP from Flowers for the Dead, kicks off a new chapter for the Washington D.C. trio known for their modern take on ’90s grunge. After leaning into the noise on their 2024 album Magnolia, the EP’s four songs find the group experimenting with a softer, more intentional sound while examining the pursuit and politics of community, friendship, and love. The title recalls a vintage pin—pictured on the cover art—that proclaims “1st prize big shot.” This absurd notion of being a proud egoist captures the sly humor of an EP filled with “sarcastic screw you songs” faintly tinged with hope, all beaming with the shared assurance of a band finding their own identity.
Flowers for the Dead began in 2021 as an outlet for guitarist/vocalist Jessie Szegö and has evolved into a threesome with the addition of bassist Ella Buskirk and drummer Ten Bears. “First Place is collaborative and more representative of us as a group, rather than just my own brain. I think it's an evolution and you can really hear it in the confidence of our playing,” says Szegö. “We aren’t afraid to take up less space–having our instrumentation be bare-bones has helped us have our songwriting speak for itself, without all the frills and embellishments of distorted shoegaze.”
The biting “Tiny Beanie” was inspired by a local scenester who named Flowers as an example of how hardcore has gone “soft.” In the vein of Bikini Kill’s “Thurston Hearts the Who,” the band transformed the dismissive rant into a critique of toxic masculinity. The title track rips into a similarly self-important type of person: “You walk around like you've just won first place/I question if I should be here in the first place.” With its skeletal bassline and empty, booming drum sound, the song evokes the Breeders’ Pod—a guiding light for Flowers for the Dead.
In January 2025, the band—all in their early 20s—headed to Massachusetts to record the four songs with Magnolia producer Justin Pizzoferrato, known for his work with their alt-rock heroes like Dinosaur Jr. and Sonic Youth members Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore. This time, they were able to book more studio time, which allowed the music to evolve during the recording process. One song to emerge from the sessions was “Thorn,” an understated last-minute addition pulled from Szegö’s collection of voice memos. “I wanted to see if we could remove the sounds that we’re known for—distortion, reverb, wall of sound type stuff—and still write a song that leaves an impact,” she says of the experiment, which helped her to understand that there’s no predetermined Flowers sound: “If the three of us make it, it's gonna sound like us.”
First Place concludes with “Perfect View,” a gentle love song about “being confident in yourself and your beliefs, as well as the certainty you feel when you think about the kind of person you want to end up with, and the kind life you want to live.” As Szegö, resisting the urge to hit a distortion pedal, instead sings “Cause I know what I want” over a resolute, clear-hearted jam, listeners are left on a hopeful note. In the process of self-realization, Flowers For the Dead emerge clearer than ever.
