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The Montvales Revisit A Past Life With A Fresh Perspective On 'Born Strangers'
Their new album will be released on February 2.
By: Michael Major Dec. 15, 2023
With a half-time backbeat framing a host of lively acoustic instruments, The Montvales' new single “Born Strangers” uses its catchy instrumentation and melody to emphasize an uplifting clarity after revisiting old haunts and flames.
“This one is about finding my way out of a life that didn't fit and looking back in gratitude at the part of me that faced that reality and dealt with it,” says Molly Rochelson who makes up half of the Cincinnati-based duo along with Sally Buice. “I wrote it after re-visiting a city I'd spent a hard period of my young adulthood in and relishing the feeling of being older and wiser than when I lived there.”
Molly Rochelson delivers forward-looking lines with inspiring confidence, not afraid of reflecting on the past, made plainly evident in the song's refrain: “I drove past the liquor store and the YMCA / All the pieces of the life we tried to make / They were something but they didn't make me wish I'd stayed.”
“Leaving that situation was one of a long line of diversions from the path of least resistance that have made me a lot happier,” says Rochelson. When the four minutes or so of “Born Strangers” are said and done, listeners are left with that same feeling of a weight lifted; head still bobbing and joy replenished.
"...Showcasing their bright and soulful harmonies to a soundtrack of warming folk," “Born Strangers” is the latest single from—and namesake to—The Montvales' upcoming LP, Born Strangers, due out on February 2nd. Fans can pre-save Born Strangers ahead of its release at this link, pre-order a physical copy here, and stream or purchase “Born Strangers” today right here. Last month, The Montvales' shared the album's first single, “Lou,” with The Bluegrass Situation and performed the tune live on Cincinnati's WCPO. A full list of Montvales tour dates can be found below or at themontvales.com/tour.
More About Born Strangers: The Montvales' latest release takes a step into new territory with a full band of Nashville musicians; a departure from Heartbreak Summer Camp, The Montvales' 2019 album that reunited the duo after Buice and Rochelson moved away for some time to seek their fortunes separately.
This new direction was aided by producer Mike Eli LoPinto (guitarist for Chris Stapleton and co-writer and producer of Emily Nenni's “On the Ranch”) who assembled an A-list roster of session players at sound engineer Sean Sullivan's Tractor Shed Studio for Born Strangers. The result is The Montvales' sound elevated and amplified. Buice and Rochelson's voices intertwine jubilantly throughout the album—a sound developed over a lifetime of singing together—and listeners are compelled to join in harmony on a dynamic journey through the gritty, determined, and sometimes absurd world of The Montvales.
Catch The Montvales On Tour:
Dec. 16 - Berea, KY - Rebel Rebel Studio & Lounge
Jan. 20 - Charlottesville, VA - Potter's Craft Cider
Jan. 21 - Richmond, VA - The Camel
Jan. 23 - New York, NY - Rockwood Music Hall
Jan. 24 - Philadelphia, PA - Move With Love
Jan. 25 - Lancaster, PA - West Art
Jan. 26 - Morgantown, WV - Gene's Beer Garden
Jan. 27 - Thomas, WV - The Purple Fiddle
Jan. 28 - Thomas, WV - The Purple Fiddle
About The Montvales
Born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, Sally Buice and Molly Rochelson of songwriter duo The Montvales spent much of their formative years busking amidst the Elvis impersonators and musical saw players of the town's Market Square, honing their uniquely boisterous harmonies and driving, joyful sound.
Eventually, they graduated to playing indoors on the local Americana radio station, WDVX, and found community in old-time circles around town. A local fiddler's dairy cows were among the first intrepid listeners of their early DIY recordings. After moving away for several years to seek their fortunes separately, Molly and Sally finally reunited in 2019 to write and record their first album, Heartbreak Summer Camp.
The two now make their home in Cincinnati, OH, spending their days touring extensively and crafting intimate, storytelling-driven songs that explore the joys and perils of self-determination. Their upcoming album, Born Strangers, is produced by Mike Eli LoPinto (producer and co-writer of Emily Nenni's “On the Ranch,” guitarist for Chris Stapleton) and recorded in Sean Sullivan's Tractor Shed Studio in Nashville.
The twelve songs careen recklessly across the whole folk-country spectrum, showcasing The Montvales' distinctive harmonies and building a sonic world just expansive and surprising enough to hold the wide-eyed existentialism of the stories and questions raised by the lyrics.
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