The essence of traditional folk music lies in storytelling. Folk musicians paint vivid and lively pictures with poetic songwriting and nimble acoustics, bringing the genre’s minimalistic tendencies to life. When it comes to March to August, the duo of Derrick and Jodi Mears, the stories they tell emphasize the importance of perspective in folk music. Borrowing from traditions and filtering tropes through a modern lens, March to August evokes nostalgia while their songwriting is lined with a sense of urgency. The duo debuted just last year with the release of Way Back Home and have already set their sights on a daring follow-up. March to August is gearing up to release their thrilling concept album, Songs Inspired By Witness, inspired by the famous Karen Hesse novel Witness. The album is out on November 1, and today, Glide premiers “Hellbound,” the next single from March to August’s anticipated new LP.
The new single showcases the duos’ ability to bring listeners into their world. It is even more impressive considering that the world March to August explores comes from a different perspective than theirs. “Hell Bound” sets imaginative storytelling to acoustic plucking that toes the line between glistening and haunting, accenting the dark narrative of the tune. “Hell Bound is the story of Johnny’s demise,” explains the duo. “When the town and the other members of the Ku Klux Klan discover how evil he was, the plot begins to rid him from the town. It is also reported that his ghost haunts the river near the bridge, where he jumped to his death.” It is a dark narrative, but when delivered via authentic folk artistry, you can’t help but get lost in the melancholy of it all.
