Oakland-based singer-songwriter Liana Warren makes her stunning debut with new album For Now, Forever. The title was inspired by an inside joke between the artist and her friends at her first ever live show; when asked for her stage name for the flyer, she quickly said, “Liana, for now, until I come up with a real name.” And so, with this record, Warren reaches out with a friendly, familiar hand, inviting listeners into her personal creative world.
Before Warren might have been a fleeting artist capturing the beauty of the moment, but now she’s rooted firmly in a strong sense of self which she conveys through these ten tracks. Each song explores memory and temporality with a tender appreciation, particularly in the nostalgic warmth of ‘Twin Peaks’ or the existential questioning of ‘Atoms Colliding’.
Elsewhere on the record, Warren takes a melancholic turn, as in ‘Cleo’s Bath’, where her fingerpicked guitar elegantly dances between her light vocal melodies, creating a sense of searching for answers. Another standout track is ‘Paulina’, which continues this thread of quiet intimacy and timeless songwriting as she cuts through the universality of impermanence. Liana Warren walks that line between poetic vagueness and grounded realism, much like fellow songwriters Julia Jacklin and Suki Waterhouse.
The release of For Now, Forever is a truly impressive first step, or should we say leap, forward for this emerging artist. This record truly speaks volumes; all you need to do is to take the time to listen.
Listen to album track ‘Twin Peaks’ in our Folk This Way playlist.
Follow Liana Warren:
UNRECORDED 