True to their new album’s title, NYC dream-pop duo Widowspeak are stopping to smell the roses on their upcoming seventh LP. Over 15 years since their debut, Molly Hamilton and Robert Earl Thomas have expanded their lineup to a trio since the release of their last record in the sense that the couple gave birth to their firstborn in the time between 2022’s Plum and this week’s Roses, surely inspiring the record’s soft-rocking lilt and lyrical matter reflecting on domestic bliss. One of the singles even sees Hamilton singing about her longtime musical and romantic partner as if they’d just met yesterday.
Which is all to say that Hamilton and Thomas’ idea of a perfect day in their hometown has surely changed over the past year or so, now that they’re toting around their daughter. Yet the journey across three boroughs they documented for us last weekend—from iconic art museums to equally well-known parks to Memorial Day get-togethers, nap time be damned—still feels like an ideal day for anyone in New York, residents and tourists alike. The jaunt even sees the pair literally stopping to smell flowers, anticipating a sticky summer full of less-than-welcome odors infiltrating the city streets.
Ahead of the record’s release this Friday via Captured Tracks, take a journey with Widowspeak via their photo diary below. You can also pre-order Roses here.
A perfect day is one we both have off work, one we can spend together adventuring around NYC. This past Memorial Day was such a day, and despite a rainy start, our little family took the initiative and headed out from Bushwick.
First up was the Met Museum. Admittedly not a great choice for a holiday weekend, but like I said, we wanted to take advantage of our time together. Plus, New Yorkers tend to leave town on holidays, so we figured we stood a fair chance that the museum wouldn’t be a mob scene. Fools were we. Regardless, we got there early enough and, benefitting from a generous NYC resident program, skipped the gigantic line. (New Yorkers, sign up for a City ID and you get a year of free museum visits and other perks all over town.)
Following a too-brief jog through the Hellenistic statues, we steered toward the main attraction: an extensive Raphael exhibition. Molly showed our babe plenty of Madonna and Child paintings—maybe she recognized all the babies staring back at her…
Tiring of the crowd, and always nap-conscious, we left the museum to wander Central Park. Both the Met and the park have so much to offer—you could visit every day and still find a new corner to lose yourself in.
After paying our respects to Balto, we headed to Williamsburg on the train.
A busman’s holiday is when you spend your vacation doing something that looks a lot like your work. For instance, when a bus driver has to take the bus on their day off. Or when Molly eats at Diner on a day she’s not serving. Well, it doesn’t make the food any less delicious, nor the restaurant any less charming. Plus, the baby has VIP status thanks to her mom.
On the way back to our neighborhood we had to stop and smell the flowers. You can’t take this brief window of sweet-smelling spring for granted—hot garbage season is just around the corner.
For the final leg of our adventure we crossed over into Queens, the third borough of the day for those keeping track, to attend a backyard BBQ in Ridgewood. Thanks to Mel and David for hosting. Being the friends with access to outdoor space is a big responsibility in this city. The whole gang was there, and memorable conversation topics included Rumpelstiltskin and Peabo Bryson.
Molly took the exhausted rugrat home a little early, leaving me to fend for myself on a Citi Bike.
“It’s just a perfect day, I’m glad I spent it with you.”
