“It’s about the feeling of desperation. About missing, wanting, needing, one you cannot be with, for whatever reason,” says Taylor Rogers regarding her new single, ‘oldhills’.
Hailing from her forthcoming album, NOA, ‘oldhills’ is a co-write with her twin brother, Cory, whose vocals also feature on the track. Although the LP delves into exploratory musical textures beyond the generalized genre boxes that litter our soundscapes, this tune in particular could be closely affiliated with avant garde indie folk.
The ballad unfurls with sweet, rhythmic percussion and guitar betwixt warm strings that come around the Rogers twins’ earnest vocal performance. It’s a well-balanced mix that doesn’t avoid the inherent heartiness of the cello’s resonance. Standing tall, it works well in partnership with violin and the other standards of the ‘oldhills’ arrangement to make good on the song’s emotive core.
Rogers’ full statement on ‘oldhills’ reads…
“My twin brother wrote a song in college after a breakup, that during my own breakup process, I couldn’t get out of my head. He never recorded it, but it was seared in my memory. I took that song, re-arranged it, added new lyrics, and the song emerged. ‘oldhills is about the feeling of desperation. About missing, wanting, needing, one you cannot be with, for whatever reason. The lyrics came to me when I was on tour during the summer of 2017, after meeting a new person I felt a deep romantic connection with. I was driving and driving through mountains and hills, with no service. I needed to find directions, but all I could think about was this new person, how they smelled, how they felt when we cuddled, how I wanted them desperately. That person’s absence was very present for me on the road. I could feel both their absence, and the absence of my ex together, as a love shadow following me around every bend. A weight that was both comforting and constraining.”
NOA is due out on 13 September. Keep up with Rogers on her website for blog updates on the album and more.
Words by: Jonathan Frahm