Willow Avalon debuts roadtrip-ready anthem "Drivin"

Born Willow Martin in Atlanta, Georgia, Avalon grew up singing in the church and dropped out of high school at 16, living in her car at one point, before moving to LA at 17. She had a turbulent adolescence and a challenging relationship with her father, the outsider folk musician and Wrong Eyed Jesus narrator Jim White – who penned one of his signature songs "Bluebird" for his daughter when she was still a toddler.

Avalon's penchant for found objects might resonate with fans of White – she even adopted a baby possum named him Bowie in the lockdown – but musically she's less of an outlier, with a sound that's road-trip ready and wears its heart on its sleeve.

"I play music to tell my stories since I can’t afford a therapist," Avalon – now aged 23 – explains. She signed to a major label at 19 but that deal didn't work out: "They put me through the ringer and couldn’t hold up their end of the deal."

Oh and that's Warpaint's Stella Mogzawa playing on drums on the song alongside Avalon's boyfriend, Andrew Wessen from Grouplove – and we're promised a full-length record next year, made with Lana Del Rey-collaborators Dean Reid and Kieron Menzies.