Elise Davis Releases New Song 'Empty Rooms' From New LP

Today, the Nashville-based singer/songwriter Elise Davis released a new song "Empty Rooms" from her forthcoming album Anxious. Happy. Chill. out on April 16 via Tone Tree. The song premiered on Apple Music's Record Bin Radio with Kelly McCartney over the weekend and was featured by The Boot today, who called the album "...a 10-song record about falling in love and changing perspectives." Last month, Davis announced the new collection with "Yellow Bed," following the release of three singles in 2020 ("Ladybug," "The Grid," and "Flame Color"). Pre-save the album now via Spotify.

"I started writing this song right before the pandemic, around February 2020," explains Davis. It began as a reflection of how I have spent my whole adult life. I began writing songs when I was 12 years old and never looked back. I've played in many empty rooms, coffee shops, hotel lobbies, restaurants, dive bars - I've also played in front of thousands of people in sold out clubs, theaters, music festivals. At the end of the day, regardless of the ups and downs, I know that playing music is what makes me feel whole and how I want to spend my time on this earth. After writing this the pandemic became in full swing and the reality of playing live music completely changed. It is interesting because now this song has added layers of meaning. Rooms all over the world that are usually full, are now empty rooms."

Anxious. Happy. Chill. was recorded just days after wrapping her honeymoon in Arizona, where she finished writing the album in the Sonoran Desert outside Tucson. Davis recorded the album with producer Teddy Morgan (Carl Broemel) at his studio in Nashville, TN. With the Covid-19 pandemic already in full swing, Davis and Morgan worked together for a month while maintaining their physical distance, communicating through the glass windows of the studio's isolation booths and playing the majority of the instruments themselves. Drummer Fred Eltringham (Sheryl Crow, The Wallflowers) joined them for a single day to lend the album its unique, percussive pulse.

"Making this album was a unique experience to say the least. Normally, I go in with a band and we all sit around and play through songs. We hang out and have drinks, making it a social and creative experience. This time my producer and I were never in the same room. We wore masks to get to our spots in the studio, then spoke through glass on headphones," explains Davis. "For 8 years I wrote for publishing companies in Nashville that set me up on scheduled co-writes. Those experiences helped me grow as a writer and I learned a lot. But to write this album almost entirely on my own brought me back to my roots. At the end of the day I prefer writing on my own more than anything, and I got back in touch with that again. I also played guitar on most of this album which I don't usually do. I usually hire guitar players whose skills are better than mine. But, me playing on the recordings makes them feel different. I hear myself in them more. This album is about love, success/failure, dislike of social media, aging, summertime, and most importantly, it's honest. I am so happy to be sharing my third child, Anxious. Happy. Chill., with the world."

Anxious. Happy. Chill. is Elise Davis' third album release in the last six years, following 2018's Catcus and her 2015 debut, The Token. Men's Journal named Davis one of the hottest new artists of 2018 and said, "Lucinda Williams + Big Star + The Breeders = Elise Davis." NPR Music's Jewly Hight said, "Elise Davis is recognized in Nashville songwriting circles for her ability to capture serrated emotions. She's raised the bar even higher with her sophomore album Cactus, teasing out the tensions between youthful infatuation and grown-up confessions of dissatisfaction and desire in songs whose arrangements range from acoustic spareness to sumptuous orchestration."

Listen to "Empty Rooms" here:

Photo Credit: Alysse Gafkjen

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