Black Belt Eagle Scout - "Don't Give Up"

Photo by Nate Lemuel of Darklisted Photography

It's been three years since we last heard from Black Belt Eagle Scout, the musical project of Katherine Paul. Previously I've described her music as a folk version of shoegaze, and that sound is all over her latest single. "Don't Give Up" has all the beauty and organic feel of folk with only having the bare elements of folk music. "Don't Give Up" is more of an indie rock song. It's noisy and dissonant, but it's oddly not abrasive in its noise. Instead, the noise is where the beauty of the song lies. There's an unexpected softness to the edge of Black Belt Eagle Scout's music that keeps it having such a unique feel that is going to suck a lot of people in.

Katherine Paul says of her new single:

“Spending time with the land and on the water are ways that strengthen my connection to my ancestors and to my culture. It helps heal my spirit and is the form of self-care that helps me the most. The lyrics ‘I don’t give up’ mean staying alive. I wrote this song for me but also for my community and anyone who deals with challenging mental health issues to remind us just how much of a role our connection to the environment plays within our healing process. At the end of the song when I sing ‘the land, the water, the sky,’ I wanted to sing it like my late grandfather Alexander Paul Sr. sang in our family’s big drum group - from the heart."

You can listen to "Don't Give Up" below. The song is available as a single via Saddle Creek. For more on Black Belt Eagle Scout, check out the artist's website.