Today, internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter Sean Rowe has unleashed “I Won’t Run,” the latest from his brilliant forthcoming LP The Darkness Dressed In Colored Lights, due out on October 8th via Fluff & Gravy Records. “Sean Rowe promises a lifetime of love in 'I Won't Run,’ a quiet, romantic, traditional country waltz,” said The Boot in the track’s premiere.
“When Waylon said, ‘I don’t think Hank would have done it that way,’ I’d like to think he was predicting what would become ‘modern country music’,” Rowe said of the song. “One thing I love about the older country songs was the honesty, the humor, and the poetry. Willie, Waylon, Cash, and Kristofferson went straight to the heart for me. I still draw from that stuff. This song is of course a reflection of my influence there."
The song features backing vocals from artist Courtney Hartman, which Rowe revealed was a happy accident. “I thought her guitar playing on the record to be stellar, and uniquely her own,” he said. “I believe she was just humming along in the control room on the playback and her voice stuck out to me. She was a little sheepish about singing on that track but I was adamant that she sing with me and it’s just not as good without her voice in there.”
“I Won’t Run” follows the release of "Squid Tattoo,” a song about the fleeting feeling of romantically projecting a future life with someone who you haven’t actually met yet and one that will most likely never happen. “I think there’s actually an underlying sadness in the song despite being on the surface, tongue in cheek," he adds, referencing the song lyrics, "Now I love you/But I can’t believe you’re from Ohio." "I’m really not trying to offend Ohio’s sensibility here. But, a good line is a good line.” Rowe has also released album tracks “Little Death,” which Rowe said is about “that strange elation that comes at the end of a long journey with another soul,” and lead single “To Make It Real,” in which Rowe is “alluding to the duality that I feel is in all of us. All the hidden parts and all the guts that spill out when we’re faced with tragedy, adversity, or a broken heart.”
LISTEN: “SQUID TATTOO”
LISTEN: “LITTLE DEATH”
LISTEN: “TO MAKE IT REAL”
The Darkness Dressed In Colored Lights was forged in the fires of self-discovery and acceptance and is the result of work Rowe’s been doing to build a fitter, happier version of himself. He credits therapy and a guided ayahuasca retreat with helping him to reach this understanding. Over the course of an intense weekend, he had experiences that stripped away his anger and defenses and brought him to a place of intense beauty and peace--he realized we create the heaven and the hell that swirls in our heads, and we have to choose in which of those dimensions we want to reside. This album is ripe with both.
Through its 11 gut-punching tracks, Rowe tackles everything from losing oneself in the despair of heartache to rising from the ashes—the paradox between what once was and what now is, and sometimes being lost in the in-between. His powerful baritone spans the gamut of emotions - and on this record, he makes it clear that at some point it’s hard not to feel them all at once. Every song cuts right to the quick.
Rowe has also spent years in the woods exploring, foraging, and obsessively learning all that he could about the natural world around him. Through his web series, Can I Eat This?, he’s found a means of indulging two of his great passions: music and nature. In each of the episodes of Can I Eat This?, Sean goes on a foraging mission for all manner of wild foods and uses the harvest to prepare some tasty creation. To check out Can I Eat This? visit Sean's YouTube Channel
The Darkness Dressed in Colored Lights will be released on CD and double-vinyl, as well as available on all streaming services on October 8th. Click HERE to pre-order.
TOUR DATES:
10/1: Portland, ME | Sun Tiki Studios
10/2: Cambridge, MA | Club Passim
10.20: Vienna, VA | Jammin Java
10/24: Norfolk, VA | North Shore Point House Concerts
11/3 & 11/4: Brooklyn, NY | Union Pool
11/5: Kennett Square, PA | Kennett Flash
11/6: Rochester, NY | Abilene
11/19: Northampton, MA | The Parlor Room
11/20: Egremont, MA | Egremont Barn
