Flock of Dimes

Flock of Dimes serves as the solo outlet for Jenn Wasner, the vocalist and guitarist from Wye Oak, where she delves into pop’s more personal and atmospheric dimensions through her ethereal sonic explorations. The project’s inaugural full-length, If You See Me, Say Yes, surfaced in 2016, while the follow-up Head of Roses arrived in 2021 and took a more cerebral turn. In 2022, Head of Roses: Phantom Limb gathered unreleased material from those sessions together with assorted live cuts and demo recordings.

Launched in 2010, Flock of Dimes initially took a secondary role to Wye Oak, the duo Wasner formed with drummer/keyboardist Andy Stack, especially once their 2011 album Civilian sparked a surge in popularity. She revived the solo endeavor during breaks at home between tours. Her earliest solo release, the song “Prison Bride,” appeared in 2011 on Friends Records and was followed the next year by the limited-edition 7-inch “Curtain” on Merge Records.

Placing Flock of Dimes on hold for a time, Wasner joined songwriter and producer Jon Ehrens in the duo Dungeonesse, whose sound leaned toward bright synth pop. After an intense stretch that yielded Dungeonesse’s 2013 debut and two further Wye Oak albums increasingly centered on synthesizers, she returned her attention to Flock of Dimes. The resulting album, If You See Me, Say Yes, came out on Partisan Records in September 2016. Merging Wasner’s inventive guitar approach with layered synth textures and introspective lyrics, the record achieved a dreamy yet detailed atmosphere.

Wye Oak subsequently issued the collection Tween and the 2018 studio album The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs before Wasner reappeared on Sub Pop with the 2020 Flock of Dimes EP Like So Much Desire. Co-produced by Nick Sanborn of Sylvan Esso, her second album Head of Roses reached listeners in April 2021. This thoughtful, emotionally charged set examined heartbreak and recovery while featuring guest contributions from Meg Duffy and Adam Schatz. The 2022 release Head of Roses: Phantom Limb extended the preceding record with new songs written during the same sessions, along with various demos, outtakes, and live tracks.