Some Good Press
also thanks for coming to release show
Hi guys. It’s Christmas music time, which for the Eders means it’s Light of the Stable by Emmylou Harris time. It’s the best Christmas album of all time, with the first song of the album being the best Christmas song of all time, called “Christmas Time’s a-Comin’.” It rips, whether your heart’s a-yearning for the folks at home or not.
A few Widemouth things:
“Well” the song was featured on Rolling Stone’s Songs You Need to Know for December 6 - a weekly roundup of new music. This has landed us on a playlist alongside Bad Bunny and Khalid, which is, yes, where we belong.
A small label based out of Minneapolis called Early Works Records found us on Bandcamp, and published a review of the EP on their site! I’m pasting it below, or you can read on their website. It’s really gratifying to know that a stranger has heard and understood our music to the extent that they did.
“For a new band, Chicago-based four-piece Widemouth play with the clarity of vision and skillful execution of a veteran group. Light on experimentation but laden with talent, this five-song demo showcases some expertly performed indie folk led by a duet of gorgeous vocals. While the familiar territory of acoustic guitars, softly plucked basslines, and subtle drumming don’t sound all that revolutionary, Widemouth employs these elements in eloquent concert to build intricate moods that support their signature floating harmonies.
In all five of the tracks demoed on Well, the vocals are stars of the show. Each singer’s voice is lovely on its own, but together they’re euphoric. The lyrics, melodies and understated delivery are clever if fashionable (fans of Boygenius et al. will eat this stuff up), but the intuitive harmonies and complementary dynamics are so authentic it renders Widemouth a singular experience.
While the vocals capture much of the focus, the instruments are doing more than merely supporting melodies. The playing is real and emotive, with dynamic strums of the guitar and smart rhythmic turns that reinforce the overall emotional impact of the songs. There are no guitar solos – just tasteful fills and runs that contribute to the song, rather than dominate it. The same goes for additional instrumentation (strings, synths, slides etc) – everything fits in seamlessly with the overarching goals of the song, rather than standing out as gimmicks or earworms. It’s a mature and restrained approach that not only sounds immediately inviting, but offers increasing rewards upon consecutive listens.
Vocals this synergistic are rare to come by. So long as these singers sing together, it’s going to capture attention and move people. The music backing it up is ideal – expertly played, mature and restrained, the interplay between all the elements developing into a singular emotion. With songs this solidly constructed and performed, Widemouth have everything they need to take flight. I look forward to hearing them soar.”
We had our EP release show at SPACE on Friday, and it was so fun.
pc Lena Moore ❤️ 
pc Mak’s dad ❤️ More pictures will be coming on instagram I think. If you bought tickets/merch, just so you know, all of that money is all going towards our next recording project, and we’re very very very grateful.
Sleeper’s Bell played a gorgeous duo acoustic set to open up - we’re kind of in awe of them. Did our best to stay cool backstage.
Also, Lily’s girlfriend Charlotte returned from a semester in Copenhagen a week early to surprise Lily at the show. The surprise was a little bit ruined - while we were loading in, Lily got a snapchat notification that Charlotte’s location had popped up at O’Hare (Snapchat is crazy) and tears just started pouring out of her eyes.
The state of Lily post-Snapchat notification She was like a kid on Christmas for the next two hours, saying things like “The crazy thing is, the last 15 eyelash wishes I’ve made have been for Charlotte to come to the SPACE show!”
We were sitting backstage and all of a sudden Lily jumped up and sprinted out of the room, and Mak and I shouted “Lily WAIT” and ran out after her. We had told all the SPACE people what was happening, so a little train of people ran out after us to watch them jump into each others’ arms. It was awesome.
Huge thanks to Jackson, who did our live mixing, and to Sam Genualdi, who is the Greatest of All Time and who played steel and lead guitar with us. And thank you to everyone who came and listened and sang along and all of you who have been coming to shows for all the months of Widemouth’s existence; we are lucky! and grateful!
Keep the eyes and ears peeled for a couple of fun Widemouth things in the next couple weeks, one being TOUR DOC and another being an early recording of “All I Ever Wanted” that Mak and I made in our bedroom last winter that we’re gonna put onto Bandcamp.
hurrayyy
have good rest of your Decembers, if you don’t hear from us, although you probably will, and be well and stream Well and love each other.
Jamie