New Zealand-formed and Nashville-based Americana/Folk band, South For Winter, is excited to announce the release of single “Wintersleep (Southern Lights)”; the third single released from their upcoming concept album, Of Sea and Sky, which is a follow-up to their critically-acclaimed debut album, Luxumbra. This album was produced by multi GRAMMY award-winner, Matt Leigh (Willie Nelson, Sister Sadie)
Dreamy, harmony-laden single “Wintersleep (Southern Lights)” was written by members Nick and Dani Stone about returning to New Zealand after years of musician hibernation during the 2020-2021 pandemic. “We were so stoked to see that first glimpse of New Zealand from the flight, that it didn’t seem real,” says Nick. “The Southern Lights are a rare phenomenon to see in New Zealand, and they felt like the perfect metaphor for how we felt when we got back home. Getting to hug friends and family again, play music, and see all the beautiful sights of New Zealand made the dark times leading up to it worth it.”
Dani Stone adds, “The song also kind of touches on how we were each others’ ‘Southern Lights’ during the pandemic. Even on the worst days, our friends and family helped keep us afloat and make us see that there was still beauty in the world.”
If you're a fan of gentle finger-picked guitar, ethereal three-part harmonies, cinematic string swells, and descriptive, poetic lyricism, check out this latest single by South for Winter.
Listen to “Wintersleep (Southern Lights)”
Add “Wintersleep”
Watch the beautiful landscape of New Zealand on their first album single, “Something in the Stars”
“Something in the Stars”, released in March 2023, is the first single off South for Winter’s highly-anticipated sophomore album, Of Sea and Sky; a concept album with complementary themes of air and water. The album will be split into “Side A/Sky” and “Side B/Sea” digital halves, with one complete physical release. Singles from the album will be trickled out over the course of the next year. Second single “Underneath the Blood Moon” arrived this July 2023 with a Southern Gothic bang, foreshadowing a level of duality within the upcoming album that has now become a signature aspect of South for Winter’s sound.
Trio South for Winter consists of New Zealander Nick Stone, Colorado native Dani Cichon, and Michigander Alex Stradal, and together the three multi-instrumentalists and songwriters combine elements such as cello, guitar, mandolin, suitcase stomp, and three-part harmonies into a genre-bending sound often compared to acts like The Civil Wars and The Dead South.
The band has landed accolades such as a Finalist for “Best Group/Duo” in the 2023 International Acoustic Music Awards, Semi-Finalist in the 2022 International Songwriting Competition, Official Showcase Artist at Folk Alliance International in 2022, Top DJ Pick by John Platt of NYC’s WFUV in 2021, and “Most Wanted” Emerging Artist at Falcon Ridge Festival in 2019. Their music has been praised by sites such as American Songwriter ("laden with delicate harmonies, intricate guitar-work, and earthy vocals... impeccable sound"), NoDepression ("must-see artist"), For the Love of Bands ("a wonderful mix of indie and folk rock"), Grateful Web ("eclectic in the best sense of the word"), AmericanaUK ("An ethereal, dreamy, journey...a journey well-worth taking"), Relix Magazine, and DittyTV. They have not only received rave reviews from publications, but have also had an outpouring number of support through social media and Spotify (reaching over ~262K listeners, ~795K Streams, and ~2.3k followers this year alone - and still growing). Their fan base raised over $20,000 (over 130% of the band’s crowdfunding goal) in their 2023 Kickstarter campaign for the independent release of their sophomore album, Of Sea and Sky. Their listeners additionally helped fund the independent release of Luxumbra in 2020, raising over $12,000 in donations through a Kickstarter campaign even when it launched in the first stages of the pandemic.
Between writing and recording, the trio has been completing tours throughout the United States, New Zealand, Canada, and Europe, with upcoming 2024 national and international album release tours to be announced shortly.
