Widowspeak may hail from Brooklyn, but they will always remind me of San Francisco and the weekends spent driving around the Bay Area listening to the “shoegaze-folk” duo’s 2013 LP, Almanac. The memory brings a sense of calm, which is currently at odds with the excitement of news that the duo of guitarist/vocalist Molly Hamilton and guitarist Robert Earl Thomas will release their new album, All Yours, September 4 via longtime label home Captured Tracks.
The new tracks will be on full display this summer as Widowspeak hit the road for 21 dates (no Boston show, boo!) alongside varied artists like Small Black, Jessica Pratt and Lord Huron. And yesterday, the duo premiered one of those new tunes on Stereogum.
The music website also passed along an in-depth story from Hamilton about her fears of being a woman in this modern day. Read it below, listen to “Girls”, and scan the full run of Widowspeak tour dates at the bottom. We also added the All Yours album art, too, because we can’t stop staring at it.
“Girls” was first a voice memo I’d recorded on my phone. It pretty much stayed the same in terms of lyrics and melody, although we added instruments and everything later on when we were recording. That’s why it’s kind of simple; I was just singing what I was thinking at the time.
Maybe this is an experience not everyone has, but at certain points in my life I’ve felt really threatened by the achievements of younger peers. I’m not specifically talking about music and other bands or anything; I remember feeling it at certain times in grade school, definitely in college, and later at different jobs. It’s not about being jealous as much as feeling like I’m not doing enough, not as effective, or feeling like I’ve missed all these chances because I’m however much “older.”
So, the song’s partially about those insecurities, and realizing there’s no set window of opportunity, or time limit, or way of doing things that I need to adhere to. I say “girls,” and there are definitely specific people I’m thinking about, but that sentiment isn’t exclusive to other women or being a woman. But, I do think it is incredibly important for women/girls in particular to realize that we don’t have expiration dates.
There’s another level of the song, which is being afraid of people who are taking risks in their own lives, doing things that I wouldn’t, or can’t… and then turning that fear into judgement. It’s taken me a long time, and a lot of growing up, but I’m trying to be more appreciative of the ways other people work and create, and their aesthetic choices, and understanding how it can be inspiring and empowering even if it’s not something I want to do myself. This album is definitely the most “real” group of songs we’ve made.
We both had to take a step back from some things in our real lives, and get some perspective, sort things through. I feel a lot more vulnerable than I did about any of our other records, but even if it’s kind of nerve-racking to have it out in the world, it’s also a relief.
Widowspeak Tour Dates
June 20: Kingston, NY @ BSP Kingston w/ Jessica Pratt
June 30: Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Bowl w/ Small Black
July 3: Des Moines, IA @ Des Moines Social Club Theater
July 5: Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
July 6: Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
July 9: Pomona, CA @ Fox Theater*
July 10: Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy and Harriet’s*
July 11: Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theatre*
July 12: Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater*
July 14: Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom*
July 15: Little Rock @ Revolution Music Room*
July 16: Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall*
July 17: Nashville, TN @ The Basement
July 18: Athens, GA @ Georgia Theater Roof
July 20: Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse*
July 21: Orlando, FL @The Beacham Theater*
July 22: Columbia, SC @ The Music Farm*
July 23: Raleigh, NC @ Kings
July 24: Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues*
July 31: Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre*
August 1: Pittsburgh, PA @ Brillobox
