Photo Credit: Magnolia Ellenburg
Brother and sister duo Aila and Elisha Wildman, also known as The Wildmans, have unveiled the initial listen and official music video for the lead track off their New West Records label debut, Longtime Friend, due on July 11. “Take Me” presents the pair’s bluegrass reflections during the pandemic era, classic genre stylings, and interludes of instrumentals, supported by delicate harmonies that blend coast-to-coast lines with a transportive effect.
“Take Me” was composed at the duo’s childhood home in the mountainous region of Floyd, Va., a spot associated with musical longevity that informed their upbringing and early interest in instruments: Elisha gravitated toward the guitar and mandolin, while Aila reached for the fiddle. The region’s old-timey appreciation presents itself on today’s single release through timeless harmonies, road-runner dreams, and space for soloing.
“’Take Me’ is the first song on the album and it really is the best introduction to our new music. We wrote the chorus during the pandemic while at our childhood home in Virginia. ‘Take Me’ conveys the feeling of wishing things were different. It was such a time of growth and excitement in our lives, and it felt like in an instant it had all vanished. It proved to be a transformational period for us and our new music very much showcases that,” the pair says via press release.
Aesthetically, the video captures the duo mimicking each other’s colorways, dressed in white, red, and khaki. The bluntness of the red is cut with the peaceful green background, a tree-lined country road that counters the grit of humanity with the intensity of nature and its boundless capacity–not unlike what’s ahead for the Berklee School of Music graduates, Aila and Elisha.
Longtime Friend presents 12 tracks produced by Nicholas Falk (Hiss Golden Messenger, Dori Freeman) and recorded by Chris Bittner at Applehead Recording in Woodstock, N.Y. Like the ring of today’s single, the collection of new music aims to take listeners on a trek via the backroads, cruising nodes of Americana, alt-country, folk, and bluegrass to produce a sound that is thoughtfully their own.
“With Longtime Friend, we’ve naturally progressed under the indie-folk umbrella,” Aila imparts. “But, we still are doing old-time tunes, which ties us to our roots and how we grew up. Bluegrass and old-time is something natural to our musicianship. The other natural counterpart of that is growing it and taking it in different directions, which is something that’s always naturally happened in that music, anyways.”
Longtime Friend will be available across digital platforms, compact discs, and “Coke-Bottle Clear” color vinyl. A very limited-to-100 translucent blue color vinyl edition will be available via Heady Wax Fiends. Pre-order the album now.
Scroll down to watch the official music video for “Take Me.”
Longtime Friend Track Listing:
1. Take Me
2. Sometimes
3. Hot Burrito #2
4. Before I Go
5. The Route
6. Longtime Friend
7. Any Day Woman
8. Luxury Liner
9. Hog Eyed Man
10. Absolute Zero
11. Autumn 1941
12. Old Cumberland
Content shared from relix.com.