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Trace Mountains Shares New Single 'Hard To Accept'
His highly anticipated new album is due out September 27th.
By: Josh Sharpe Sep. 10, 2024
Trace Mountains, the project of Dave Benton, has shared the final single from his highly anticipated new album Into The Burning Blue, due out September 27th via Lame-O Records. Enlisting Craig Hendrix (Japanese Breakfast) to bring his indie rock to immersive new heights, “Hard to Accept” takes Benton’s lo-fi pop tendencies and infuses them with newfound urgency, vocalist Jill Ryan (of Great Time) contributing breezy harmonies and a sprightly flute solo. FLOOD Magazine praised the track, writing it “further positions the album as something of an alternative history for the songwriter, with the track’s heartland glow and new-wave-y feel aligning it with what The War on Drugs and Future Islands.”
The song “reflects on those moments when communication breaks down in a relationship and we're left to piece everything together,” says Benton. “When I brought the song to Craig, I was excited to collaborate with him because of his impressive work on the Japanese Breakfast records. I thought his arranging instincts would be a good match, and we quickly got to work crafting the rhythm section arrangement. In our first recording session together, munching on dried mango and blueberries, Craig and I breathed new life into "Hard to Accept" with a vibrant, danceable quality while being careful to maintain its emotionality. He really took his time with my vocal, capturing breath and air in the recording that made the performance sound more intimate. I think we were able to strike a balance between the heavy feelings and a more upbeat, cathartic vibe—combining tears, laughter, and a sort of defiant, night-drive-blasting-music, "No, really... I'm good" attitude.”
On the stunning video complete with choreographed dancing, directors Alyx & Sam Soard shared “In the quiet moments before everything falls apart, there’s a strange kind of peace, a calm as we face the finality of an ending. Often, it’s the refusal to listen—miscommunication and stubbornness—that drive us apart, whether in a relationship or on a global scale. We beg each other to change, but neither side can hear the other, and this breakdown is the crux of the problem. Just as personal missteps can end relationships, our collective unwillingness to address climate change mirrors this larger failure to act. In both cases, we cling to fleeting moments of joy, even as the bigger picture crumbles, finding some kind of meaning in the chaos while grappling with what we couldn’t change.”
Written as Benton grappled with the end of an 8-year romantic relationship, songs were pouring out of him in quick succession, often urgently before he had logically processed the emotions himself. The pressure of this period crystallized Benton’s adventurous spirit and self-renewal as he embraced new high-fidelity sounds and conviction.
Last month Trace Mountains announced Into The Burning Blue with lead single “In A Dream,” a sprawling 7-minute epic that repossesses mid-80s rock with a cinematic and frantic American perspective. The track was praised by Rolling Stone (Songs You Need To Know), Paste Magazine, Brooklyn Vegan, and Stereogum, who named it one of the Best Songs of the Week (#2) and called it “a major departure” that “sounds like an organic change, as if Dave Benton had nowhere else to go.” Follow up single “Friend” strips things back to an elemental place, highlighting a core intention of the album - that each song had the integrity to stand alone in a stripped-back setting.
Next month, Trace Mountains will embark on a US headline tour to support Into The Burning Blue, kicking off with an east coast run in October, and a west coast run in December. Tickets available HERE.
TRACE MOUNTAIN TOUR DATES:
10/9 - Washington, DC @ Comet Ping Pong
10/10 - Wilmington, NC @ Reggie's
10/11 - Durham, NC @ Rubie's
10/12 - Boone, NC @ Lily's Snack Bar
10/15 - Atlanta, GA @ Altar
10/16 - Nashville, TN @ The Basement
10/17 - Columbus, OH @ Space Bar
10/18 - Cincinnati, OH @ MOTR
10/19 - Chicago, IL @ Sleeping Village
10/20 - Louisville, KY @ Zanzabar
10/22 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's
10/24 - Brooklyn, NY @ TV Eye
10/25 - Boston, MA @ Deep Cuts
12/3 - Seattle, WA @ Madame Lou's
12/4 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
12/6 - Arcata, CA @ Miniplex
12/7 - San Francisco, CA @ Thee Parkside
12/10 - Los Angeles, CA @ Gold Diggers
12/11 - San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar
12/12 - Phoenix, AZ @ Linger Longer Lounge
Tracklist:
01 In A Dream
03 Friend
04 Ponies
05 Crawling Back To You
06 Gone & Done
07 Melt
08 Cry Cry Cry
09 Won’t Go Home
Photo credit: Sam Soard
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