Philadelphia and Los Angeles based band Mt. Joy has recently collaborated with Grammy Award-winning Maren Morris for a compelling single titled “Highway Queen.”
Written by frontman Matt Quinn, “Highway Queen” has been a fan favorite at live shows for a few months now. When discussing the topic of the song, Quinn says the tune is about “being in love with someone you see yourself in.” Quinn lives a life on the road with his wife who left her town in Brazil at 15 years old. He continues, “Living away from home corrals your demons in a specific way, you feel like the only way to outrun them is to keep moving and it makes being home torturous. It’s something I struggle with, so I know it when I see it in someone else, especially someone I love.”
Singer-songwriter Maren Morris adds, “As a touring musician with a heart for the highway, this song felt like I was getting to lament to a lover about keeping up with me, literally and figuratively speaking. I never stay still for long and though I love my solitude and independence, I do hope one day I find that person who can bend with me. I’m such a fan of Mt. Joy, so them asking me to sing this verse made me so happy.”
The band had released a lyric video for the original version of the song, along with a visualizer a few months later. Listen to the new feature here:
The twangy guitar chords throughout the song create a rhythmic flow to the entire track. Along with the percussion notes from Sotiris Eliopoulos and the thrum of Michael Byrnes’s bass, the song is a catchy and electric dancing tune. Matt Quinn showcases his dynamic vocal range on “Highway Queen,” his high notes blending beautifully with Morris’s.
The lyrics paint a picture of two people who have been traveling together for a while and can’t lie to one another. The pre-chorus has the two characters of the song saying “My highway queen must be hiding something,” a sign that they know when the other isn’t confessing to something bigger. The chorus then has them singing “Honey, I ain’t scared of your demons […] That’s just what makes you a real thing.”
Mt. Joy resumed their live shows across North America on September 13. Their tour dates include a stop at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on September 28. More information on acquiring tickets can be found here.
Photo Credit: Stephen Hoffmeister
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