Laura-Mary Carter - "Blue's Not My Colour"

With Laura-Mary Carter's debut solo mini album due out on Friday, we have a third single to listen to before the release. So far the songs released off Town Called Nothing have been country adjacent. They're more rock songs with some elements of country. "Blue's Not My Colour" is Laura-Mary Carter's most country song released so far. It may not be a full on country song, but there is plenty of twang here. It's the kind of song that moves country into a newer direction into the worlds of indie rock and alt-pop, kind of the way Aaron Lee Tasjan and Tristen do. "Blue's Not My Colour" is the kind of genre blurring track we seem to be moving towards, where a song isn't necessarily purely country or rock or pop. This is music that cares more about being good or interesting instead.

Laura-Mary Carter says of the new single:

"'Blue's Not My Colour' is about to wanting an uncomplicated relationship. I was listening to a lot of music like Patsy Cline at the time and I thought I want to write a type of love song but flip the script with a little bit of humour to it."

You can watch the video for "Blue's Not My Colour" below. Town Called Nothing is due out December 3. You can pre-save/pre-order the mini album here. For more on Laura-Mary Carter, check out the artist's website.

Laura-Mary Carter - "Ceremony"

The upcoming solo release from Laura-Mary Carter (one half of Blood Red Shoes) is being called "... more contemplative... than her usual guitar-shredding anthems," but "Ceremony" is anything but a quiet acoustic solo song. "Ceremony" is a huge rock song. It reminds me a lot of Kristin Hersh's louder solo work. It has loud, tribal sounding drums with a swirling sound of feedback looping around everything to help keep it all together. At the center of it all is Carter's vocals which sound like a mixture of Hersh and Tori Amos fronting an all-eras-encompassing Sonic Youth. Yes, that's a lofty comparison but it will hold up when you hear it. If you're unfamiliar with Blood Red Shoes like I am, this one is going to have you diving straight into their catalog.

In a press release, Laura-Mary Carter says of the new song:

"The song is about my career. It’s about being in debt to someone and trying to break free. It's about the feeling of not having a choice but to make music because that's who I am but that sometimes comes with a price or with massive sacrifices. It's about making peace with the choices and decisions I have made over the years and moving forward."

You can listen to "Ceremony" below. Town Called Nothing is due out December 3. The album can be pre-saved/pre-ordered here. For more on Laura-Mary Carter, check out the artist's website.

Laura-Mary Carter - "Town Called Nothing"

Laura-Mary Carter is best known as half of Blood Red Shoes, and is releasing a solo EP later this year. The first single from that EP, "Town Called Nothing," is a dark rocker that is just dripping with country. It's not a country song at all, but that kind of mid 90's alt-rock song that had country elements that we'd love despite hating country. It's filled with fuzzy and swirling guitars that have just the slightest twang despite all the fuzz. It sounds like a perfect melding of The Lemonheads and Cowboy Junkies, which is something I think we all could use.

Laura-Mary Carter talks about the song, which sounds like the perfect weekend to me:

"After writing this song I discovered that there was a real abandoned town in Arizona, named ’Nothing’, with a population of two people. I immediately decided that I had to go there. I packed up my bags, hired a car and drove to Arizona. I fell in love with it upon arrival and have since returned many times. The song was produced by Ed Harcourt, at RAK studios, UK. We recorded Town Called Nothing in one day, tracked live. Musicians featured on this song are: Jorma Vik (The Bronx, Eagles Of Death Metal) on drums, Ed Harcourt on bass / piano and myself doing everything else. I actually later tracked the vocals in a pitch black room in solitude."

You can watch the video for "Town Called Nothing" below. Town Called Nothing, the EP, is due out December 3. You can pre-order the EP here. For more on Laura-Mary Carter, check out the artist's website.