Before a fourth grade crush and the influence of my older cousins got their hands on the music that I listened to as a kid, I was raised on country music and classic rock–call it: a portrait of life in middle America. My step-dad had a CD binder that seemed to span all of the classics, but the albums that stood out to me were the “outlaw” country compilations with songs from uncontested heroes of the genre like Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson. There’s a quality that comes from those recordings–and the blatant, no bullshit kind of storytelling that went into the songwriting and feels unrivaled to this day, and Moonsville Collective is the kind of band that wants to preserve the integrity of the genre.
Today, I’m excited to be sharing a new song called “Her Eyes Used to Shine” with y’all. The track comes from their fourth EP, which is called Moonsville IV, and is a steadfast reminder of how great real Americana-style country music can still be. Mere seconds into the song, it’s like you’ve been transported to another place and time; the banjo and harmonica paint a picture of dustclouds settling, and the rasp and restrain present in Ryan Welch’s vocal delivery feels of another decade entirely– pulling you right back into the kind of outlaw country that was so present in the 60’s and 70’s.
When talking about the influences for “Her Eyes Used to Shine,” Welch says “There’s some Dylan behind there, there’s some modern-day America behind there, and there’s some frustration in there. This made crystalline with a chorus that hides it’s anger in his subtle delivery of lyrics like “Oh honey/this world’s gone crazy/hungry for money/it’s all about the payment/no more yes’s and no’s/it’s always maybe/oh honey/this world’s gone crazy.” You can listen to the song below.
Moonsville IV is out December 8th. You’ll be able to grab your copy here on release day.
