Watch the new video for Sipsey, the first single that was released from Will Stewarts latest album County Seat which Rolling Stone called “literate, introspective folk-rock from the Deep South”. Stewart shared the following about the song:
“The title references a place in northwest AL called Sipsey Wilderness Preserve. I wanted to use that as a sort of visual/tangible anchor to otherwise vague/impressionistic lyrics. I also just like the way it sounds.
“But overall the song is about trying to recapture the sense of awe, wonder and abandon (and maybe innocence to a lesser degree) of young adulthood. Coming to realize that things that were once inconsequential in youth are now the only things that matter. It’s a song about nostalgia, but I also hint in the song that nostalgia is basically just a mirage and not a healthy thing to do (this is pretty common theme throughout the album. The constant back and forth of what I want and choosing a path to stick to) – Sipsey is just the object/place that sort of triggers these ghostly feelings.”
County Seat is a guitar-fueled Americana record, caught somewhere between the worlds of country and electrified rock. The songs are roomy and lush, the result of an inspired band — led by Stewart, who handles singing and guitar-playing duties — whose members recorded all nine tracks in two short days. There are swirls of swooning pedal steel, layers of vocal harmony, and the pastoral punch of a songwriter looking to turn the landscape of his home state into music.
Co-produced with Les Nuby (who also engineered and mixed the album) and recorded in a series of live takes, County Seat nods to a number of songwriters who sing about the beauty of their homeland without glossing over its imperfections. There are electrified moments influenced by Neil Young, guitar arpeggios suited for R.E.M., turns-of-phrase worthy of Bob Dylan, and the modern-day folksy charm of Hiss Golden Messenger. On an album that evokes some heavy starpower, though, Will Stewart shines the brightest. This is his first full-length release as a solo artist: a rallying cry from a Son of the South who, having returned home after a long trip, looks at his birthplace with renewed eyes.
Order County Seat via Cornelius Chapel Records | Bandcamp
Photo Credit: Wes Frazer