Written by Emily Lutz
Boy Willows- otherwise known as Landon Fleischman- has a sound that is difficult to pinpoint and define, but that’s what makes him so unique and captivating. In his newest project, he has released “Fila” featuring Dylan Minnette of Wallows.
This track with a dreamlike sound makes you feel like you’re reading the personal journal entries of both artists. The first lyric, “Follow me down,” mixed with the dazy-sounding instrumental feels like Boy Willows has automatically taken us down a rabbit hole to view the deep and ill-favored feelings going around in his mind.
He continues on with “But I never see it cause I’m always left out...I just feel like I don’t deserve this life.” In an interview, Boy Willows had said “..the actual idea behind the song comes from the feeling of being left out of professional and social circles that just don’t see me. It’s like when you get back from a concert and only when it’s quiet you can start to hear the ringing in your ear. That’s what this song was like- only in the quiet brought on by the pandemic could I acknowledge my deeper, uglier feelings.”
When I had read that, all I could think was “Woah, yes! This is it!” During Dylan Minnette’s verse, he gets intimate about his feelings and his own version of loneliness with lyrics such as “Sleep on a different mattress, hitting me kinda different / Didn’t I always want this? I need an intermission” and “If I weren't with you I’d be falling to pieces / Lying next to you I'm not afraid of dying / I just feel like I don’t deserve this life.”
Minnette explains his “little warm heart exploded” when asked to add his own verse to the track. This truly might be my favorite collaboration of the year. With sounds that compliment each other, this song is nothing but a masterpiece.
“Fila” is available now on all streaming platforms. To go along with the new song, be sure to check out the new music video also! You can catch up with Boy Willows by following him on Twitter @boywillowsmusic.
Have you heard the new Boy Willows track featuring Dylan Minnette of Wallows? Let us know what you thought of it by tweeting us @lgndsoftmrw!