Trae Sheehan To Release New Album POSTCARDS FROM THE COUNTRY

From his homeschooled upbringing on an Alpaca farm in West Virginia, Trae Sheehan has always made the time to focus on crafting songs. From learning the ropes from his musician parents to going on tour as soon as he acquired a driver's license, Sheehan used his every minute of that time to prepare himself for a busy, fruitful career in music. On September 18th, Sheehan will release his third full-length album, Postcards from the Country on Half Moon Records.

PopMatters premiered Postcards' first single, "To Be Alone," calling Sheehan a "true-to-life modern troubadour." "This is a love song at its core," says Sheehan. "A slightly twisted one, but a love song nonetheless. We never want THE ONE person we love more than anything to be alone." Fans can watch the video for "To Be Alone" below!

Recorded at The Building in Marlboro, NY, in the heart of the Hudson River Valley, Postcards from the Country is a step in a more stripped-down direction for Sheehan, whose last two records felt more produced or polished than this new offering. Sheehan tapped old musician friends to fill out his inventive arrangements; Drew Fermo on piano and Fender Rhodes, Rebecca Haviland on B3 organ, Chris Anderson on upright bass, and Angel Lau on percussion. "We only had two and a half days to make the record, so we were very decisive about what we wanted on each song. That meant things like bringing in a percussionist, instead of a full drum kit, for a lighter touch and using upright bass instead of electric," says Sheehan. "I wanted the songs to speak for themselves without a lot of production to distract from the message."

With light strokes of production, the songs that make up Postcards from the Country are given every chance to shine. "Better Off" is a telling-off of self-doubt wrapped in a simple bluegrass feel, or as Sheehan describes it, "a song for anyone with something to prove." "Heartbreak Casts" slows the album down for a study on hurt-physical and emotional-and how it's handled. "Sometimes we show our battle scars with pride and sometimes we try to keep them hidden," says Sheehan. "Our scars shouldn't make us feel ashamed or afraid. They should build us up and be labeled as experience rather than reasons why or why not." Sheehan fingerpicks his way around the pressures of modern society to leave behind traditional values on "Paris," a view into the misgivings of dating culture. The thread that ties all of these songs together is Sheehan's penchant for being open and honest about universal and personal beliefs and issues without ever being too heavy and as soon as it's safe to again, rest assured that Sheehan will be back on the road sharing his stories and songs like he's been doing from those first days off of the farm with a new license and fresh guitar strings.

Postcards from the Country Tracklisting:

To Be Alone

Better Off

Changed

Heartbreak Casts

Paris

Overcast

Over The Edge

Raised on a small alpaca farm in West Virginia, twenty-two-year-old Trae Sheehan began writing songs as soon as he started learning how to play. Having lived in both New York City and Nashville, along with touring the country in his converted minivan, There is no lack of inspiration for Trae. His 2019 release Arizona reached No. 7 on the Roots Radio Charts and received international airplay. Sheehan's latest album Postcards from the Country, full of stripped-down arrangements and personal stories, is slated for release on September 18th via his own Half Moon Records.

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