‘Feel At Home’ with Singer-Songwriter Alexandra Riorden’s New Album

Alexandra Riorden | Photo: Courtesy

Since moving to Santa Barbara for college, folk singer-songwriter Alexandra Riorden never looked back. Now having lived in Santa Barbara for over 10 years, our vibrant coastal town inspired her most recent album release Feel At Home.

Her third studio album is infused with mystical undertones, folk and rock inspiration, and gentle guitar playing throughout. These melodies are overlaid with lyricism relevant to Santa Barbara, driven by themes of introspection, spiritual rebirth, and finding home within.

Riorden reflects on this album as her “most refined.” The singer-songwriter carefully oriented her album around storytelling inspired by her surroundings.

Alexandra Riorden ‘Feel at Home’ | Photo: Courtesy

“It’s a lot more light and natural. It’s very influenced by the nature here — the ocean and trees. It’s such a mystical place and I feel so at peace and comfortable here. I think that definitely reflects in the music,” she said.

Riorden’s 11-track project is the product of a thorough, year-long writing and singing process. The music is accompanied with strings by Gabe Noel (Phoebe Bridgers, Feist, Harry Styles, Kendrick Lamar). Production is credited to fellow Santa Barbara artist Omar Velasco (collaborator of Poolside), and Jim James of My Morning Jacket.

Riorden began playing the guitar when she was 15 years old and wrote songs down in an old notebook in her free time, but she never took the craft seriously until a miraculous rendezvous occurred during her post-graduate travels in Thailand. Riorden borrowed a guitar from the hostel she was staying in and ventured to an open field, where she wrote and refined a song while strumming her guitar.

“It all came to me at once. I don’t know what switched up for me because I’ve written little songs here and there, but nothing gelled until that moment. This song got me up and running. So, I started writing a lot more songs when I was backpacking through Southeast Asia, and would play in markets and random places,” she said.

Upon returning from her travels to her childhood home in San Francisco, a push from Riorden’s family jump-started her musical career. With nothing but her guitar, suitcase, and hopes for an opportunity in the music industry, Riorden drove down to Los Angeles. She spent several years living there, splitting her time between playing for a band and recording her own music.

Her two other albums, Weirdflower and Angel City Radio, reflect the earlier years of Riorden’s musical pursuits, processing heavier themes of trauma and healing. This album is a stark contrast, as she describes it as a “comfort album.”

“It feels a little more loving, it’s still a bit bittersweet and melancholic, because to me that’s what life is.” Riorden divulges her spiritual discoveries and philosophies in their entirety throughout the album.

Alexandra Riorden | Photo: Courtesy

“I really hope to bring people a sense of comfort. Life can be so hard, and I really want to give people some light and a reminder of the beauty in life — that everything’s going to be okay and it’s normal to go through challenging times, but there’s so much to hope for,” she said.

This positive message becomes evident throughout her album, an ode to the hometown that she holds close to her heart. It is also a distinct reflection of her evolution as a musical artist, having learned through the nuanced and tolling musical process that the only way to succeed is to “let go of perfectionism and allow curiosity.”

To celebrate the very place that inspired her album, Alexandra Riorden invites Santa Barbarans and music-enjoyers alike to her album release event at the end of February, with a tentative date of February 20 at a location to be announced in Santa Barbara. She encourages anyone interested to attend because it may be her last local event for a while, as she plans to tour elsewhere during 2025.

You can listen to Feel At Home on all streaming platforms, out on January 22. For more information about Alexandra Riorden and her new album release, visit alexandrariorden.com.