‘everywhere i go, there i am’ is the newest EP by Olivia O’Brien, which was released on November 15th. It’s her second project released this year and consists of five-tracks of vulnerablity and raw emotions centered around the complexities of mental health. Songs like “lower” and “all the time,” embody these themes both observational and personal for O’Brien. The latter song, started as a poem about how a bad habit can devolve into addiction and its negative effects, O’Brien shared, “It was definitely more observational. My mom growing up my mom would always tell me we have addiction in our family, we have addiction in our family. That was just so ingrained in me and I really have watched out for the signs within myself my whole life.” She stated its personal nature related to her own sobriety for a period of time, “I went was sober for 3 months last year from the springtime and I did it because I wanted to see if I could. I realized that drinking and partying was such a big part of my culture and my friend group and the social world that I was in.” Working with Jackson Phillips of Daywave on many of the songs, O’Brien has felt a renewed energy and freedom with the songs on ‘everywhere i go, there i am’. Songs like “lower” capture a pivotal low in her life, one where her struggle with mental health was at its most challenging. “I’ve been through a lot, both publicly and privately, and this project feels like the most honest reflection of where I am right now. It’s a journey into the parts of myself that I used to keep hidden, and I hope it helps others feel less alone in their struggles.”
Olivia O’Brien spoke with B-Sides host Pete Mar about the struggles she experienced that led to the raw and vulnerable material on her latest EP, ‘everywhere i go, there I am’. She reflects on the early experiences of moving to LA to pursue music at sixteen years old, life now in her mid-20s and more.
