Folkie Little Filly’s “Orbital Decay” Highlights Climate Crisis (premiere)

Lily Sexton has impressed with the textured bluegrass of her band, Mamma’s Marmalade. Now, she’s breaking in her soloist shoes as Little Filly on an upcoming EP, Sleeper’s Awake. It’s wonderful folk music with Sexton looking inward, often paired with only her grandfather’s 1949 Gibson J-45, “Jumbo”. Her timeless croon is given ample space to roam along the intricate lyrical arrangements. “Orbital Decay” is written from the perspective of a space satellite. The song is given a dash of Sexton’s newgrass ingenuity, too, with a subtle shift in measure at its ascending bridge. Its understated precision fits its offbeat theme well, especially considering its more harrowing undertones.

Little Filly tells PopMatters, “‘Orbital Decay’ is a term I heard on the radio a few years back. I was listening to a news report about a satellite that had fallen out of orbit and crashed down in someone’s backyard somewhere. I had been in a bit of a creative rut, so I started writing a song from the perspective of the satellite itself, just to try and jump-start my writing again. I found it so inspiring to give a satellite sentience, and the song quickly turned into a critique of constant technological progress in the face of a climate crisis.”