Rebranding herself as Ferguson’s Daughter, the artist formerly known as Lindsey Ferguson, now Lindsey Plotner, chose to remember her family’s heritage and name in her artistic endeavours. ‘Blissed Out Blues’ is a short EP, but one that signifies and signals a lot of meaning within itself. Serving as a marriage announcement, a farewell to the first 26 years of the artist’s life, and a welcome to this new chapter of her life, the blissful piece of folk music is a cinematic piece of modern folk that takes you on a journey that captures the multitude and myriad of experiences in adulthood and the fleeting nature of life itself. More than anything else, ‘Blissed Out Blues’ serves as Ferguson’s Daughter first experience completely end to end recording, writing, and playing a record. The result is simply magical.
Notably, the piano plays a central ethos throughout the record. Opening with ‘Wedding Rings’, you’re greeted with a piece that plays along the notion of marriage and pairing. The percussive drums in the background, somehow sound away from a distance as the piano plays close to your ears. But while Wedding Rings and Numbers find themselves more easily digestible and easy to play through, it’s really on ‘Panic Attacks in Love’ that you’re treated to the full musical gamut that Ferguson’s Daughter is able to create.
Ferguson’s Daughter created “Panic Attacks in Love” in 2021, after experiencing a severe (but not irregular) panic attack. During the attack, while still in the grips of the attack, she asked her fiancé to record her at the piano, and tried to play through the entire experience. Her deep fears were discussed with Jordan when she finished playing, and her partner’s steady and unconditional love helped her to overcome them. You can hear the pain in the conversation, the very real emotional throughs that she’s going through, and the reassurance of her partner amidst it all. Steered by a powerful and deeply emotive piano tone, you feel the same level of calm and assurance that she seems to find for herself.
A folk album unlike most, Blissed Out Blues strength is in the rawness of its emotion, the vulnerability of its artist, and the sincerity in its expression. A truly, madly, deeply emotional journey.