Anthony da Costa is no stranger to the music world. At age 13 he started writing songs and playing out anywhere he could, and his career as a singer-songwriter never really stopped. In the last decade, he’s lived in New York City, Austin, TX and most recently, Nashville, TN, all of which have shaped him as a musician and led to countless opportunities and collaborations.
da Costa has released many albums over the course of his career, most recently a solo LP (da Costa) and a collaboration with Adam Levy (Neighbors) in 2017, and an EP (Shadow Love) in 2019. For the last several years, he’s also been consistently touring, sharing bills with bands such as Big Thief, The Milk Carton Kids, and Loretta Lynn, and sharing stages with Joy Williams (The Civil Wars), Sarah Jarosz, Molly Tuttle, and Yola, just to name a few.
During his time as a sideman, da Costa’s desire to write and release songs of his own remained steady. Last year he met up with long-time friend and producer Kenneth Pattengale (The Milk Carton Kids), and made what will be his next solo record, called Feet on the Dashboard, and in da Costa’s words, “it’s been a long time coming.” A culmination of a sound developed since he was a teenager, da Costa’s Feet on the Dashboard (due out March 27th) is a collection of songs set to be a deliberate reintroduction to who da Costa is, and who he has always been: an earnest songwriter and an artist on his own merit.
Today Glide is excited to premiere “Waltz,” one of the standout tracks on the new album. Twangy and dreamy with a mellow mood that immediately soothes, da Costa lets his whispery vocals and poignant lyrics drift over sparse and beautiful instrumentation. Intimate harmonies accentuate the emotion of the song, which uses little more than an organ, simply strummed guitar, and a basic drum beat to stir up a range of powerful feelings. da Coast aims to capture the romantic chemistry that can arise from two people trying to dance together, and we sense the innocence and the sparks that fly from an instant connection throughout his poignant vocals.
Anthony da Costa shares the inspiration behind the song in his own words:
“‘Waltz’ is a song that came to me while sitting at a friend’s piano in East Nashville. I had just moved to town and followed a girl here. I was thinking of our awkward summer together, and how poorly we used to dance together at this weekly honky tonk dance here in town. Once, I took a two-stepping lesson from a friend to try and impress her. I learned all the moves: the steps, the twirls, the dips. When I unveiled my newfound skills the very next week, she stared in horror as we flew around the dance floor in a frenzy. We never really danced again. But hey – that’s love sometimes. It’s awkwardly beautiful, and sometimes we step on each other’s toes. The song was called ‘Friend Of The Band’ until Kenneth Pattengale sat down with me and helped craft my quirky idea into what might be my favorite love song that I’ve ever written. Ruth Moody’s beautiful harmony vocal makes me feel things each time I hear the track.”
LISTEN:
Anthony da Costa releases Feet On The Dashboard on March 27th. For more music and info visit anthonydacosta.com.
Photo credit: Jacqueline Justice
