Last month, the team of Waxahatchee leader Katie Crutchfield and singer-songwriter Jess Williamson announced that they’d teamed up on a new project called Plains. They’ve already recorded an album; the duo cut the Plains LP I Walked With You A Ways at Brad Cook’s studio in Durham. The backing band includes Spencer Tweedy and Phil Cook. The project is a one-time deal, at least for now, but that’s still exciting. When they announced the band and the album, Crutchfield and Williamson also shared their first single “Problem With It.” Today, they’ve shared another one.
Like “Problem With It,” the new song “Abilene” is a warm, gorgeous track that nods to old-school country. Williamson and Crutchfield sing about specific regrets, and they hit some serious soaring harmonies. In the “Abilene” video, from directors, Corbett Jones and Nick Simonite, Williamson’s friend Adriene Mishler, who’s famous for the Yoga With Adrienne YouTube channel, gives an affecting dramatic performance as someone whose relationship is falling apart.
In a press release, Katie Crutchfield says:
The song “Abilene” really solidified the vision of the album for me. I’ll never forget how giddy I felt when Jess sent me the original demo. In a very stereotypical-of-a-songwriter way, Jess felt unsure if it fit or made sense, and I reassured her immediately that this was probably my favorite song of the bunch. She achieved something really special in my view, which is writing a classic country waltz that feels extremely modern.
Jess Williamson says:
In the video for “Abilene,” my dear friend Adriene Mishler plays the narrator of the song. We see her struggle in the final stages of a romantic relationship and then make the hard decision to choose herself and leave. I think we all have our own personal “Abilene.” Maybe it’s a place where you used to live and things didn’t turn out as planned, like in the song. It could also be a relationship that ended in disappointment, or a dream that turned into a hard reality, or even an old version of yourself that’s better left in the past. “Abilene” is a song about knowing your worth, having courage in the face of an uncertain future, and trusting your gut.
Check out the “Abilene” video below.
I Walked With You A Ways is out 10/14 on Anti. Pre-order it here.
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