After almost a decade since the inception of her first grassroots EP, Ariel Wang has come into herself as an artist and musician with the writing and recording of her new full-length, “Bridges.” With splashes of bowed banjo and thumping cello, complex string arrangements and acoustic guitar, her music pulls from a deep grounding in folk with traces of metal, western classical music, and progressive rock, growing from her latest EP, “Cat Faze.” The new album traces her path of growth, lessons, traumas, triumphs, love, and heartbreak, cataloging experiences both unique yet universal. Recorded at New, Improved Studio in Oakland with some exceptional Bay Area talent, the sounds are wide-ranging but connected, passionate and grounded.

Although she identifies as a Bay Area native, and has spent almost two decades in the East Bay, her roots spread wide, having lived as a child in multiple parts of the country from Chicago to Baton Rouge. Her background is a Bachelors in Psychology from UC Berkeley, Masters in Violin Performance from San Francisco State University, a truffle-maker with local chocolatier, Coracao Confections, frolicking in the Northern California woods, and deep immersion in the East Bay area underground music scene. One of her life-long endeavors is to create events which bring together a wild cast of characters, and so “Bridges” not only refers to the connection of a person to her younger self, but also the bridges between communities that are crucial to their vitality.