And no, it’s not a cover of the Katy Perry song.
The Civil Wars, who, despite their unaddressed hiatus, recently announced that their self-titled second album is due August 6, released the first song from that upcoming set this morning: a crackling, morose blues-rock ballad called “The One That Got Away” that swells with moments of fury.
“I never meant to get us in this deep,” Joy Williams sighs in the opening verse. “I never meant for this to mean a thing.” The sparse arrangement, which features little more than a moody electric guitar, bass, banjo, and kick drum, builds to a bitter chorus.
“I wish I’d never ever seen your face,” Williams sings with (at?) John Paul White. “I wish you were the one that got away.” Yes, both members are married to other people, but still, it feels like we’re sitting in on their therapy session, right?
The Civil Wars’ labels, Sensibility Music/Columbia Records, aren’t trying to hide the tension currently plaguing – or, judging by this song, fueling – the band. “The [new] album was recorded amidst a grueling touring schedule, exhausting workload and a growing disconnect from their families,” a press release read this morning.
Fittingly, the video for “The One That Got Away” features nothing more than a billowing cloud of black smoke. Check it out below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgJQmn9gtmI&w=510
What do you think of the Civil Wars’ new song? Are you ready to hear this full album come August 6?
Read more:
The Civil Wars announce new album, perhaps still aren’t getting along
The Civil Wars cancel tour dates for ‘irreconcilable differences’