Over the last two weeks I’ve had Angel Olsen’s haunting “Hi-Five” on repeat, so it’s safe to say I’ve found my first earworm of 2014. The track harkens the haunting tremolo of Roy Orbison complete with lonely and anxiety filled lyrics to match. When Olsen sings “I feel so lonesome I could cry/But instead I’ll pass the time/Sitting lonely with someone lonely, too” it could easily be a sequel to Orbison’s “Only the Lonely.”
“Hi-Five” comes from Olsen’s forthcoming release Burn Your Fire for No Witness on the record label Jagjaguwar. The album drops on February 18, but NPR’s “First Listen” is streaming it in full this week.