Popular indie folk duo The Civil Wars are releasing their self-titled album August 6th, despite not being on speaking terms eight months after ending their European tour early.
After announcing their hiatus due to claimed artistic differences, John Paul White and Joy Williams have managed to continue with their upcoming release, but currently have no plans for the future of the band. The New York Times sat down with Williams, who gave more insight into the emotional struggles, but had little to say on the status of the band. Williams, who recently celebrated her son’s first birthday said of the band:
“John Paul and I aren’t speaking right now but to me that doesn’t determine the outcome of the band because if we’re not speaking we can’t determine the outcome of the band at this moment…So the other elephant in the room is what’s happening with the band? The reality is I’m not even quite sure.”
She also talks about the meaning of the album and how it tells the story of their troubled relationship.
“This album chronicles loss and regret and anger and victory and sweetness and loyalty and I hope that people get the chance to listen to it…What I’ve noticed is people may be curious about it, but once they listen to it, they are hooked. … It’s so honest and it’s so rich and, not to toot my own horn, I’m just really proud of what we created together. And we created it together — we just happened to be in a bit of a civil war ourselves.”
Charlie Peacock, who produced their newest album, claimed this was “par for the course” for many groups. But he believes in the music as much as Williams, and states White does as well:
“John Paul does not want to talk, but he is very proud of the record…John Paul is a serious artist. I can guarantee you that this record would not be coming out if he were not proud of it.”
Though the situation is quite bleak for The Civil Wars, there is no definitive end as of yet. Fans of the duo can keep their fingers crossed that Joy Williams and John Paul White will be able to reconcile their differences to continue making music in the future.
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