Haint Blue are a indie band from Baltimore with some extremely heavy Americana leanings. A mandolin, banjo and violin player color the intense, introspective songs on their upcoming LP Overgrown, which is out February 15. Today we are pleased to premiere the video for the album’s lead-off song, “Another Year.” It’s a deeply thoughtful song, taking a deep look at our tendency to let life slip us by, putting off obligations and personal priorities – often until it’s too late.
“‘Another Year’ is an interesting one,” said lead singer Mike Cohn. “I started writing the song quite awhile ago, when I was feeling really down on myself on my birthday. I couldn’t figure out why I was screwing up every aspect of my life, even though I was getting into a lot of stupid stuff and being a generally selfish person. The song, as a lot of my songs did at that point in my life, lingered unfinished until I picked it back up a few years ago. I was now on the ‘straight and narrow,’ so to speak; maintaining healthy relationships, holding onto a job, drinking less, etc. The irony is that I still felt unfulfilled and directionless, for the most part. So the song dances around the same idea, that idea that we disappoint ourselves sometimes, but from two sides of the same coin.”
Cohn is joined by Dave Sheir on keyboards, Nellie Sorenson on mandolin, Aaron Mirenzi on banjo, Victoria Grier on violin (though Audrey Hamilton played violin on Overgrown — Grier joined later and appears in this video), Mark Strother on bass and Alex White on drums. Grier, Mirenzi, Sorenson and Sheir add backing vocals and harmonies to the richly-arranged alt-folk tunes. A good reference point would be somewhere between the folkier side of The Avett Brothers’ folk-rock or Pinegrove with a little less indie rock influence.
Cohn added more detail about the song’s themes and lyrical message. “A few lyrics that I think were interesting or meaningful: ‘And I see growth in all the wrong places / in our guts and in our faces.’ It’s a tongue in cheek but truthful nod to the simple fact ‘I ain’t getting any younger’ while exploring the complacency I have begun to felt as I have aged (but perhaps not necessarily grown). ‘In the back of my head / an empty space once held the dead / so should I black it out like everyone else?’ I think that’s one of the funnier lines I’ve ever written, about going bald and having this back and forth in my head of whether I would do anything about it.”
The video features the entire band in close, dark quarters performing the song. The clip cuts between scenes of the band stoically playing the song and a young woman inside a home, seemingly being stalked by a strange masked man. As she dramatically dances in a bare room, the man enters – no matter which way the girl turns, he’s there. Finally she accepts his presence and they dance together. It’s only when the final credits roll that we realize who the man represents — the future.
“Like I said, the song is interesting to me,” said Cohn. “There’s a lot of rage/frustration in the song, the kind of frustration any adult feels when they grow up and realize that life’s not going to be what they thought it would be (and that it has a habit of getting away from you). But there’s also this softer, sadder, almost humorously self-aware part of it, too. That’s why I like the song so much, it’s a great (accidental) allegory to growing up.”
Haint Blue tour dates:
02/22 – New Deal Cafe – Greenbelt, MD
02/23 – Frozen Harbor Festival – Baltimore MD
03/04 – 49 West – Annapolis, MD
03/08 – Dante’s – Frostburg, MD
03/15 – Metro Gallery – Baltimore, MD (Album Release Show)
03/22 – Villain & Saint – Bethesda, MD
03/23 – Front Royal Brewery – Front Royal VA
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