Photo: Samantha Muljat
Molly Tuttle has released her latest batch of new music, the six-song EP, Into the Wild. Today’s release follows the musician’s Grammy-award-winning and critically acclaimed collection, City of Gold, delivered in July 2023. The new set features three new songs while also permeating Tuttle’s take on others’ tunes, including Kate Wolf’s “Here in California,” Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit,” and Olivia Rodrigo’s “good 4 u.”
Into the Wild finds Tuttle returning to her City of Gold track “Stranger Things,” offering an alternative take on the number, dubbed the “Down the Rabbit Hole Version.” Explaining the trajectory of her release, the songstress says, “With this new EP, we invite you to come on a journey with us Into the Wild. I wrote the title track with Ketch Secor after a week spent in the redwoods. This song is about getting lost in the wilderness, even if it’s just in the forest of your mind. ‘Getaway Girl’ was an unfinished song I had started writing for our last LP City of Gold.”
“It’s about a whirlwind romance set in New York City, kind of like Carrie Bradshaw meets bluegrass. In addition to these two new original songs, we included some of our favorite covers that we’ve woven into the live show, ‘White Rabbit’ by Jefferson Airplane and ‘good 4 u’ by Olivia Rodrigo,” she adds.
Tuttle continues: “We paid tribute to one of my favorite California songwriters, Kate Wolf, with a new version of her song ‘Here in California,’ which features my dad, Jack Tuttle, and longtime friend AJ Lee singing with me. I used to play this one with my family band back in the day! On ‘Stranger Things’ (Down the Rabbit Hole Version) I wanted to go for a stripped-back ethereal version of this song originally played by the full band on City of Gold. It features a trio with Dominick Leslie on mandolin and Nathaniel Smith on cello and synth. I hope you enjoy trekking deeper into the woods with us as we pick up where we left off on City of Gold and explore new territory as a band.”
The bandleader along with fiddler Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, mandolinist Dominick Leslie, bass player Shelby Means, and banjo player Kyle Tuttle received their second consecutive Grammy award for Best Bluegrass LP (City of Gold) earlier this year. Last month, the ensemble was nominated for eight IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards, including Tuttle’s rank as potential Female Vocalist of the Year and Guitar Player of the Year, solidifying Tuttle and her band’s standing as genre favorites.
Into the Wild can be streamed in full now.