Later this month, on September 24th, Audrey Spillman (Buffalo Blood) releases her new album Neon Dream. Produced by her husband Neilson Hubbard and recorded in Nashville, the compelling project provides a snapshot of her life over the last five years, from getting married and starting a family, to grappling with grief and saying goodbye. It’s also a melting pot of styles that she’s always loved, as elements of jazz, soul, and pop weave their way through the set.
Austin Motel is the first album single, the video for which you can watch below. With its simmering tempo and seductive vocal, the song takes inspiration from a trip Spillman and her now-husband, producer Neilson Hubbard, took to Austin when they first started dating. The boutique hotel has preserved its character throughout the decades and left Spillman inspired.
She tells us ‘It’s about getting lost in the dream of newly found love.’ Acoustic guitar and steel provide a subtle backdrop for a dreamy opening that drops you straight into the zone with Spillman’s gorgeous vocals at front and centre. It’s an exquisite opening and the accompanying video accentuates this through some beautifully creative camerawork and vision. Together, the song and video capture an utterly timeless and beautiful moment. When shuffling percussion joins just over a minute in, the song sparkles with energy – the subtle euphoria of newfound love.
Austin Motel is also our Song of the Day.
The title of Neon Dream is lifted from a lyric in the above single. An artistic path has been part of Spillman’s life from the start. Spending her early childhood in St. Simons Island, Georgia, she would often tag along to the beach with her mother, who would paint the wildlife, and her father, a photographer. She and Hubbard are now photographers as well. “My childhood was a magical experience and I think that spirit has always stayed within me,” she says. “That’s one of the reasons that place is so special to me. It makes me feel like a kid, and I try to live that way. I try not to lose that.”
We’ll be bringing you more on the album soon.
Pre-Order Neon Dream here: https://audreyspillman.bandcamp.com/releases