New Texas Critters single embodies hopeful homesickness

Graphic by Quinn Donnelly. Version pictured above is adapted from original graphic.

By Alex Vassilopoulos

Emerson College junior Evan Taylor (he/him), also known as Texas Critter, released his brand new single “Northern Facing (Boston Too)” on Thursday. The song is a soothing slowcore-freak folk journey that espouses the importance of fresh starts and new experiences while also retaining the memories that make us who we are.

While making the song, Evan drew upon his recent experience of returning back to school at Emerson from his home state of Texas and renting his first apartment in Boston. 

“Anytime I go through a big life transition, I think about my brother Christian who passed away eight years ago,” says Taylor “I think, I realized somewhere along the road that if I stayed in Texas, I would never be able to escape guilt and blame that was just kind of being assigned to something that was no one's fault.
“Northern Facing (Boston too)” expresses this idea of accepting the past while exploring new experiences through its lyrics. Lines such as “and I‘ve gone northern facing, and i’m in Boston too, and I'm tired of short changing like I’m changing next to you” tells a story of moving on to new places and new things while also keeping both the good and bad moments from home close to the heart.

Sonically, the song doesn’t disappoint. Produced with help from friend and fellow Emerson musician Ricky Vasan, it experiments with interspersed electronic effects layered above a more traditional folk sound. 

“There’s all these like different things that go on top of it, but I really wanted that… acoustic rhythm, kind of just like two different chords going back and forth with these little like, kind of things in between… because it's a simple feeling,” says Evan, “It’s not homesick, but I don't know, it’s when you're finally away from home when you've finally left the nest, and then you're just looking back for a minute.”

The end result is a relatable experience that is as engaging as it is soothing, and it’s a fantastic addition to Texas Critter’s growing catalog of music.

“Northern Facing (Boston Too)” by Texas Critter is available now across all platforms. You can listen to it yourself by clicking here.