Buried Treasure, October 9
by Annie Parnell, Managing Editor
Welcome to another installment of Buried Treasure, Country Queer’s weekly roundup of fresh tracks from LGBTQ+ artists in country, folk, and Americana!
We’ve got a great collection of singles to share this week, in an array of styles ranging from pop-country to indie-folk. There’s a fresh new song of heartbreak and recovery from Harper Grae, some tantalizing and tender pre-album releases from Big Thief and Hand Habits, and a compelling Song of the Week special from the “genre-fluid” folk musician Abby Posner.
Read on to hear more about these great new tracks to kick off your weekend — and keep an eye out for more to come next week.
-Annie
Song of the Week: “Wishing Well” by Abby Posner
Los Angeles-based folk multi-instrumentalist Abby Posner shares some compellingly-relatable contemporary anxieties in “Wishing Well,” which focuses on the turmoil of comparing yourself to others and the desire to succeed. “Comparing yourself to your peers on Facebook & Instagram can take a major toll on your mental health,” says Posner of the track, adding that “Wishing Well” is “about trying to quiet the inner critic that often takes over…putting it all on the line, [and] knowing that you tried your best.”
“Wishing Well” drops ahead of Posner’s upcoming album Kisbee Ring, an entirely self-produced and performed release that will be available on November 12. On October 15, “Wishing Well” will be released as a single on all streaming services, but until then, you can check out this exclusive release on Country Queer.
“I Think About You” by Harper Grae
Glee Project-alum Harper Grae has been making waves in her quest to queer pop-country, and this bittersweet love song is a powerful step in that journey. Out now, “I Think About You” roots itself in the rural details of classic country heartbreak. There’s a car going down a dirt road, the natural imagery of falling rain and a shining sun, and a family at the core comprised of a teacher mother, a preacher father, and a hell-raising brother. In Grae’s hands, however, this familiar story has a softer tone — the car in question isn’t a truck, but a Honda Civic, and she thinks about her lost love in the soft, feminine light of a red-tinged crescent moon.
“Change” by Big Thief
“Change” marks the latest single teasing Big Thief’s mysterious upcoming double album. Like previous release “Certainty,” “Change” is a gentle folk track that focuses on the process of radical vulnerability in the face of changing relationships, illustrating the narrator’s journey to trust and acceptance despite some lingering fears and self-doubts. “Could I feel happy for you when I hear you talk with her like we used to?” asks Adrianne Lenker, over aching backing vocals by her bandmate and former husband Buck Meek. It’s a compellingly self-aware question, one that speaks to a lengthy process of growth and self-examination.
“Clean Air” by Hand Habits
Also releasing another single ahead of a long-awaited album is indie-folk musician Hand Habits (Meg Duffy), whose newest track and accompanying music video “Clean Air” focuses not on the reconstruction of an old relationship, but the letting go of one. “I can no longer stand at the gates of your love,” Duffy confesses over an urgent, fluttering drumbeat that underscores the song’s more mellow guitars — “I can no longer ask that of you.”
“Clean Air” is the final single ahead of Hand Habits’ album Fun House, out October 22. If the current releases are any indication, the full release is going to be a treat.
“Buried Treasure” is your weekly guide to new releases by queer artists in country, Americana, and folk. Know an artist who should be included? Contact us!