Sometimes inspiration comes from past wounds we carry around. On Brad Russell’s new single, that’s the deep well he draws from “I’d like to say I wrote myself into the story,” Brad Russell clarifies.
“It’s from a bad time in my life. It’s a cheating song, straight up. I was dealing with a cheating relationship and it came out of me. It takes two to tango. It’s not all on one person. A lot of people only see it from their side, that your partner cheated, but someone else was involved. A lot of times they know the other person. It’s getting your heart broken by two people. It paints a picture of a dude who’s working out of town. That’s where it comes from, me being out on the road working, knowing back home it’s going down and there isn’t anything you can do about it. You’re just stuck.”
Those scars that laid the groundwork have been lingering for quite some time. “The song was recorded back in late 2019, early 2020. We sat on a few songs through the pandemic. This was one I wanted to revisit, tighten the vocals, but keep it as a chronological record of what we’ve recorded. It helps show where you’re at now. We play it live and I still get that same feeling. You’d be surprised how many people dance to this song. Its about heartbreak but it gets you moving.”
To form this gut punch tune, Brad enlisted producer Bart Rose of Fort Worth Sound Studio. The way it’s crafted, the tune gives the listener an off-kilter feeling, reflecting the frustration of the protagonist. “This was done with Josh Rogers [drums] and Aiden Bubek [bass]. Milo [Deering] came on a partial day. He gave it that hook-y riff and suggested we play it on guitar and fiddle. A dark, eerie but groovy mix. It’s overdrive and a phaser to give that guitar a little bounce back.”
