Why Bonnie Presents New Single & Announces Union Pool Show
Why Bonnie is the Texas-bred, NYC-based band fronted by singer/guitarist Blair Howerton, and their “blend of shoegaze, fried country, and straight-ahead indie rock sounds more confident than ever” (Pitchfork). Last year, Why Bonnie released Wish on the Bone, their “explosive, vivid [and] cinematic” (Paste) Fire Talk debut which received praise from Stereogum, Bandcamp, Alternative Press, FLOOD and more. Today, Why Bonnie presents their new single, “Headlight Sun - Bedroom Version,” from their forthcoming EP, The Bedroom, out July 25th via Fire Talk. The Bedroom EP is a solo venture of Howerton's, with all of its songs written, played, and recorded in her bedroom.
The Bedroom assembled three newly-recorded acoustic reworks — including today’s “Headlight Sun - Bedroom Version” and Why Bonnie’s previously-shared reimagination of the “anthemic” (Exclaim!) “Fake Out” — alongside a demo of a new composition. “Headlight Sun - Bedroom Version” was recorded in Howerton’s Brooklyn apartment, and shines upon Wish on the Bone’s non-single standout track by doubling down on the track’s quiet intimacy. “Another restless sleep can wait another night,” Howerton lilts atop sparse electric guitar, “but for now I’m yours, and baby - won’t you be mine?”
Listen to Why Bonnie’s “Headlight Sun - Bedroom Version”
With Wish on the Bone, Howerton had no interest in adhering to genre standards. Alongside bandmates Chance Williams and Josh Malett, the trio fleshed out songs with help from Jonathan Schenke, who co-produced Wish on the Bone alongside Howerton. “We were trying on musical hats,” Howerton says, laughing. “There’s still some country on this record, but I wasn’t thinking about sticking to one thing. Personal experience of learning to be bolder and more assertive and trusting myself has carried over into my music. I’m not afraid to take risks.” Although Wish on the Bone is untethered from the particulars of landscape or genre, its fixation on what it might look like to lead an authentic life grounds the record in place. “I’ve changed since [90 in November], and I trust that I’ll probably continue to change,” Howerton says. “Maybe I won’t be the same person entirely two years from now.”
Though Howerton may change, her convictions are steadfast, as is her sense of moral responsibility. “These songs were written out of hope for a better future. I’m not naïve, the world is fucked up, but I think you can radically accept that while still believing it’s possible to change things,” Howerton says. “Hope, to me, is strength.”
Listen to “Fake Out - Bedroom Version”
Why Bonnie Live
Wed. Aug. 20 - Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool*
*w/ Bloomsday
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