Kate Klim: Something Green
This singer-songwriter, now based in Nashville, has been part of our mix for years, and we're glad to know that her new album Something Green is due in March. The title cut is the first single. "The lyrics for this song were inspired by the idea of controlled burns, and how sometimes a prescribed fire is needed to prevent uncontrollable forest fires or to promote new growth," according to Klim. It's a personal reflection on "a time of loss and change, but also [of feeling] hopeful that there was new growth underneath." Americana Highways premiered the track a few days ago and wrote: "The melodies are delicious ... the whole song is shiny and clear."
John Lewitt: Look In My Eyes
Another indie singer-songwriter that we've featured before, this Toronto-based artist will release The Beaten Path in May. On this album, Lewitt says, he's "leaning heavily into the Americana genre and spanning the width of what that means - from the early beginnings of The Band onto artists like Bruce Springsteen and Blue Rodeo and then all the way up to current artists like Jason Isbell." The songs were all written, performed and produced by Lewitt, working solo through the pandemic.
Willamena: The Same Way
Here's the second single to spin out from Broken Songs, the most-recent album by this band from Kalamazoo, Michigan - another of the indie artists we've been happy to feature in our big mix over the years. This mid-tempo rocker picks up the theme of love helping a couple get through troubled times: "I know, it's been a long year / Sometimes it's been hard to bear / And I know, there's good and bad to come, dear / But our hope will make it easier to bear." Written more than 10 years ago, it was freshly recorded for the new LP because, the band says, "this song feels right now. It needs to be heard."
Brandi Carlile: You and Me on the Rock
We're catching up to this single from In These Silent Days - which Spin called "a triumphant patchwork of Americana, folk-rock, pop and soul." The magazine described this song, which features backing vocals from Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of Lucius, as "a sweetly acoustic ode to the simple life." It's also a song of a love that treasures constant companionship: "Me out in my garden and you out on your walk / Is all the distance this poor girl can take / Without listening to you talk."
Peaness: How I'm Feeling
This latest single is a lead-up to the indie-pop trio's first full-length album, World Full of Worry, due in May. Formed in Chester, England, in 2014, the cheekily-named group has released a couple of EPs and first came to our ears a year ago with the single "Kaizan." Using the fundamental formula of guitar, bass, drums and vocal harmonies, the three build a sound reminiscent of '80s bands like The Bangles and The Go-Gos.