mxdwn PREMIERE: Emily Rodgers Shares Heartbreaking New Ode to Her Brother on “I Will Be Gone”

Pittsburgh singer/songwriter Emily Rodgers has announced a new album under indie producer Kramer’s revived Shimmy-Disc Label. The record, titled I Will Be Gone, was written and recorded in just six days and is a collaboration between Rodgers, guitarist Erik Cirelli and Kramer. Rodgers, an alum of Carnegie Mellon University and husband Cirelli worked on the album in their attic. Kramer has worked with Rodgers for over a decade now and in addition to producing the record, lends his musical talents through vocals, bass and piano. Today, mxdwn has the pleasure of premiering “I Will Be Gone,” the first single and title track off her upcoming LP, which is out April 16th on Kramer’s SHIMMY-DISC.

“I Will Be Gone” is a dark, emotional folk track that meditates on complex emotions to the sound of hypnotic violins and rough guitar strums. “Did you even try?” Rodgers repeatedly asks, pulling the listener back and forth through the heart-rending song, reflecting on the fact that she “knew him when he was well.” In a press statement, Rodgers explained the deep meaning behind “I Will Be Gone” which references “the life of her brother who, 15 years before, developed schizophrenia and died by suicide. The closing line, “I will be gone,” is a reflection on the fleeting nature of memory and remembrance.”

I Will Be Gone track list

1.  “Down”
2. “The Chain (for W.S. Merwin)”
3. “Blame”
4. “Hearts Are Broken”
5. “I Will Be Gone”
6. “What Have You Done?”
7. “Hear Me”
8. “Believer”

Olivia Duff-Rogliano: Features writer at mxdwn | Olivia is a recent graduate of Purchase College where she studied journalism and literature. While at college, she was the managing and reviews editor of a student-run arts and culture magazine. Currently, Olivia is a freelance writer in New York.
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