COUPLE(T)S SIDE A, the highly anticipated sophomore album by indie-folk duo Couldn’t Be Happiers, unfurls like a tapestry of musical contradictions, each song a snapshot of the world as it is and the world as it could be. From the opening notes of “Come Back Tomorrow,” the album announces its mission: to create something both timeless and immediately relevant. With a driving second-line rhythm that evokes the spirit of New Orleans brass bands, the song sets the tone for an album that blends folk traditions with expansive, genre-bending sounds. The duo, Jodi Hildebran Lee (drums, vocals, harmonica) and Jordan Crosby Lee (guitar, vocals), deliver their most assertive work yet, using their marriage as the compass for navigating a complex world of climate change, political unrest, and personal introspection.
The duality of Couple(t)s reveals itself quickly in its thematic organization. Side A is a carefully structured collection of six tracks, each split into pairs that capture the core pillars of the album: love, protest, and folklore. The album’s first two tracks, “Come Back Tomorrow” and “When I Die,” offer haunting reflections on love and mortality. These songs weave together an aching beauty, with harmonies that could bring a tear to the eye of even the most hardened listener. The couplet structure, both poetic and personal, underscores how the Lees find balance in their differences. It’s in the contrast between their voices—Jodi’s smoky, soulful delivery against Jordan’s more wistful tone, that the magic truly happens.
Transitioning from romance to rebellion, “Plastic Bag Odyssey (I’ll Never Die)” and “Tear It Down” move into protest territory, where the duo takes on environmental decay and societal collapse. The songs are a call to action, with lyrics that feel urgent without being preachy. “Plastic Bag Odyssey” combines a buoyant rhythm with a biting critique of waste and overconsumption, while “Tear It Down” echoes the sentiments of a generation disillusioned with the world’s disregard for the planet. The instrumentation here is strikingly bold, lush and layered, yet never overindulgent and leaving space for the lyrics to land with impact.
The final two tracks on Side A, “Devil’s Tramping Ground” and “Pretty Polly”, shift into the realm of Southern folklore, where the Lees conjure haunting tales from the American South. “Devil’s Tramping Ground” is a chilling, almost eerie narrative steeped in mystery, while “Pretty Polly” reinterprets a classic folk tune with haunting precision. The duo’s ability to merge storytelling with their folk-rock sound gives these tracks a timeless quality. They don’t just tell stories; they transport listeners into their world, where every ghost, every whisper, feels both real and spectral.
From a production standpoint, Couple(t)s Side A is a triumph of restraint and creativity. Doug Davis, who recorded the album, brings out the best in the duo without overshadowing their raw energy. There’s a tactile quality to the sound where each song feels alive, as if it could come to life in a single live performance. From sousaphone and accordion to the eerie whine of a musical saw, the diverse instrumentation adds depth to the album’s already complex emotional landscape. The Lees’ commitment to staying true to their live sound, even as they experiment with new sonic textures, is evident in every note.
In the end, Couple(t)s Side A feels like a statement of purpose. It’s an album that both pushes and pulls, pulling you into its orbit while never losing sight of its core themes. The couplet metaphor works on multiple levels thus musically, lyrically, and personally and by the end of Side A, it’s clear: Couldn’t Be Happiers have created something deeply meaningful, something both singular and universal. This is folk music for a new era, one where love, protest, and tradition not only survive but thrive.
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