The 1st

Released on her 17th birthday, The 1st represents WILLOW's transition from child star to a serious, self-actualized singer-songwriter. Moving away from the digital sheen of her debut, Ardipithecus, this album embraces an 'organic and raw' aesthetic heavily influenced by the 1990s alternative folk movement. Recorded with a focus on live instrumentation, primarily acoustic guitar and a string section, the album eschews modern percussion for a chamber-folk sound. Critics, notably Pitchfork, praised the shift as a 'huge leap in the right direction,' highlighting her vocal development and the maturity of her existential lyricism. The album serves as a bridge between her early experimentalism and her later pivot into pop-punk, showcasing a versatility and a willingness to inhabit 'uncomfortable positions' for the sake of artistic growth. It remains her most quiet and folk-centric body of work to date.