The last couple of years have been tumultuous and emotional for Angel Olsen.
Beyond the isolation and uncertainty of the pandemic, the veteran indie artist went through the breakup of a romantic relationship and the beginning of a new one. Then both of her parents died, just days (in the case of her father) and weeks (her mother) after she came out to them as queer.
Somehow, Olsen managed to plunge immediately into the recording of her most recent album, the sonically and lyrically expansive “Big Time,†which figured prominently on many “best albums of 2022†lists.
“I think I’m crazy a little bit,†Olsen says of how she managed to keep the recording dates that were booked before things began to cave in. “I think I just needed to have something to focus on. And a lot of the songs weren’t about my parents, so it wasn’t like I was really dealing with that when I was playing songs.
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“Grief doesn’t happen in a linear way,†she says. “It happens in moments over the years. And I was like, ‘Wow, I think I’m letting out a lot of other stuff, too.’â€
Olsen says she is feeling better now, after getting back to touring last year for the first time since the pandemic, and then taking a winter break during which, she says: “I did nothing. And it was amazing.â€
“Big Time†takes Olsen — whose music has ranged from indie-folk to garage-rock to haunting synth- and string-tinged material — in a more country/Americana direction thanks in part to a pandemic listening diet of outlaw country artists plus a healthy dose of Lucinda Williams and Neil Young.
When she penned the song “All the Good Times,†she initially thought of offering it to present-day outlaw country artist Sturgill Simpson.
“I hadn’t written anything (else) that was like Americana or country or anything like that,†Olsen says. “So it just seemed like, ‘I don’t know if I’ll write a record like this.’ And then I did. So I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll keep it.’â€
Olsen did eventually collaborate with Simpson, whom she had met in 2019. The pair recorded and released a new version of her album’s title track last September. “As soon as he started singing, my face just lit up,†she says. “It was like, ‘This is unbelievable.’â€
Simpson isn’t the only artist to do a version of “Big Time.†On the day the album was released, Belleville native Jeff Tweedy of Wilco posted a lo-fi recording of the song on his Substack page, Starship Casual.
“This album is brand-new and lovely,†Tweedy wrote, “and I want everyone with ears to hear it.â€
“He’s a sweetheart,†Olsen says.
Olsen was born in ºüÀêÊÓƵ and grew up in Richmond Heights. (She attended Tower Grove Christian Academy.) She busked outside Vintage Vinyl, played in bands at the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center and the Creepy Crawl, then moved to Chicago after high school. “I had to follow my dreams,†she says.
In Chicago, she met Will Oldham (aka Bonny “Prince†Billy) and toured with him as a backing vocalist. For a time, she dated Oldham’s guitarist, Emmett Kelly, who co-produced her album “Halfway Home.†Her albums since then include “Burn Your Fire for No Witness,†“My Woman,†“All Mirrors†and “Whole New Mess.†Since 2014, she’s lived in Asheville, North Carolina.
As for her music’s changeability, Olsen says: “I don’t plan to change genres — it’s just that I listen to a lot of different kinds of music. Sometimes, if I’m working on an EP, it can be totally different than the thing I just released.â€
Now that she has more than a decade of recording and performing behind her, writing a set list for her shows can be challenging. “We include a lot of old stuff,†she says. “Like, I’ll play ‘All Mirrors’ and “Lark’ and ‘Shut Up and Kiss Me’ and ‘Forgiven Forgotten.’ Sometimes I’ll throw ‘Un(expletive) the World’ in there.†She also usually plays a cover song and will do a solo set as well.
“The hardest part isn’t changing genres,†she says. “It’s that, when you write a lot of songs, your set can only be so long, and people are always like, ‘You didn’t play this!’ and I’m like, ‘What the hell?’â€
Returning to ºüÀêÊÓƵ to perform “is overwhelming,†she says, “but in a good way. It’s just like, a lot of family. There’s a lot of stuff that comes back when you visit your hometown. Of course, my parents are gone now, but since my parents passed, I’ve gotten a lot closer with my siblings. And so they’re all coming out, which is going to be really sweet.
“But yeah, it can get overwhelming,†she says. “Like, you feel the pressure to hang with everybody. I’m just like, ‘Let me get through this first.’â€
What Angel Olsen, Erin Rae • When 8 p.m. Jan. 28 • Where The Factory, 17105 North Outer 40 Road, Chesterfield • How much $34.50-$40 • More info 314-423-8500;