New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Acclaimed singer, songwriter and musician Courtney Marie Andrews' new song, "Burlap String," is debuting today.
Reflecting on the video, Andrews shares:
"More than a decade ago, I would travel from my home in Phoenix, Arizona to a quirky little historic Mexican border town in the southeastern hills of Arizona called Bisbee. In Bisbee, all the musicians play in old saloons, making a small, but honest living off of tip jars. This special place became my haven as an artist. The entire town is ripe with characters and creativity. During my visits there, I befriended a local musician couple, whose moniker was Nowhere Man and a Whiskey Girl. They became my DIY musician mentors, being fifteen years older than me, and showing me it was possible to pay rent off of playing music. I adored them, and we did lots of shows together throughout my early twenties. About five years ago now, they both died unexpectedly within twenty-four hours of each other. Losing them was a devastating blow. They were a large part of the Arizonan community. I still go back to Bisbee often, as it's where my heart belongs in many ways. During one of my visits a couple years ago, I discovered a special place called Young Blood Hill. It's a hike to a sacred and rocky peak, littered with catholic influenced memorials, shrines and crosses. It turned out to be a place where many of my personal revelations happened, so naturally I chose to shoot the album cover for Old Flowers there. Unknowingly, while shooting the album cover under the last full moon of the decade, Nowhere Man and a Whiskey Girl's memorial ended up in many of the press shots. When showing them to someone in town, they remarked how sweet it was that Amy and Derrick made it into those photos. It came as a beautiful gift and surprise, for I was unaware it was their memorial at the time. With that gift, I decided to shoot my music video for 'Burlap String' on Young Blood Hill. By the end of the video, I am placing flowers on Derrick and Amy's memorial, as a way of reckoning with their loss and each loss we grieve throughout our lifetime. Though this song was written for one of the great loves of my own lifetime, I wish to place flowers on heartbreak's memorial as well."
"Burlap String" is the latest song unveiled from Andrews' highly anticipated new album, Old Flowers, which will be released June 5 on Fat Possum Records (pre-order). Created in the aftermath of a long-term relationship, Old Flowers features Andrews' most vulnerable writing to date on ten new songs that chronicle her journey through heartbreak, loneliness and finding herself again after it all.
In advance of the release, Andrews' new song, "If I Told, premiered last month to critical acclaim. Of the track, Stereogum declares, "a spare, meditative performance...up front in all of it is Andrews' voice, wringing beauty out of pain and self-realization," while Refinery29 proclaims, "Andrews has long been one of the most unguarded singer/songwriters in the game and her latest single is a work of utter vulnerability."
Produced by Andrew Sarlo (Bon Iver, Big Thief), Old Flowers was recorded at Sound Space Studio and features only three musicians: Andrews (vocals, acoustic guitar, piano), Twain's Matthew Davidson (bass, celeste, mellotron, pedal steel, piano, pump organ, wurlitzer, background vocals) and Big Thief's
James Krivchenia (drums, percussion).
Of the album, Andrews shares, "Old Flowers is about heartbreak. There are a million records and songs about that, but I did not lie when writing these songs. This album is about loving and caring for the person you know you can't be with. It's about being afraid to be vulnerable after you've been hurt. It's about a woman who is alone, but okay with that, if it means truth. This was my truth this year-my nine-year relationship ended and I'm a woman alone in the world, but happy to know herself."
Of their intention, Sarlo adds, "Before we got to the studio, we agreed to prioritize making this record as cathartic and minimal as possible-focusing on Courtney's voice and her intention behind the songs. Because of this, the record is all about performance. I believe a great recording is the chemistry between everything during basics and the ability to feel something happening instead of obsessing over the perfect take. Courtney embraced this approach and we ended up with a raw, natural and human record."
