Richmond-based folk trio and recently-crowned FloydFest “On the Rise” winners Palmyra have shared the music video for their new single “Medicine,” arriving to digital streaming platforms on Friday, December 2nd. Recorded in a one-room Blue Ridge cabin in Mt. Solon, VA overlooking the Shenandoah Valley, the video is available to view here.
The video for “Medicine” was brought to life just days after the group’s groundbreaking debut at Newport Folk Festival. Having recently achieved widespread recognition for their FloydFest “On the Rise” annual band competition performance, the budding outfit have quickly solidified themselves as a force of nature in the alternative/folk sphere.
Addressing poignant themes of isolation and the toll it can take on mental health, the song was originally written in the wake of the pandemic when the trio – freshly banded and yet to perform live together – was living under quarantine in a small Boston rental home.
“We were all newcomers to [Boston], and feeling incredibly isolated,” shares bassist Mānoa Bell. “Our only creative outlet was writing and arranging; eagerly awaiting a moment to leave our east Boston basement and share the music we had been preparing.”
On the outset, “Medicine” embraces its place as a clever, almost light-hearted folk ballad, though it quickly builds into a crescendo of emotion. Bell adds, “the song's arrangement can be understood in two clear sections in support of the lyrics. The first section, sung by Teddy [Chipouras], is musically unobtrusive and conventional. The next section is a chaotic, pulsing, and a personal description of mental health. With this song, we were pushing our boundaries lyrically and musically as we clung to each other in reaction to the circumstances of our world.”
Employing direct, almost caustic lyrics, the tune brings to life an all-too-relatable inner dialogue. Bell explains, “the lyrics of the song are intentionally direct, portraying a false and ironic sense of confidence as we state our uncomfortable truths.”
Fittingly, having recorded the video in a small cabin not unlike the home in which it was written, the group was able to channel those original feelings of suffocation and uncertainty. Still, the outfit found solace and inspiration in the foothills of the Shenandoah Valley where the trio first met. Weaving the vast landscape and its natural beauty into the subtext of each verse, “Medicine” swells with emotive expression, embodying at once a ballad of lust and nostalgia, while nodding confidently toward a brighter, more hopeful future.
Bell concludes, “we feel that this video showcases our unique approach to both our instruments and arrangements, subverting the conventions of acoustic roots music – conventions formed in the Shenandoah valley and the place Palmyra met. The valley showed us the natural beauty that so many traditional tunes praise and we have learned through countless bluegrass jams. However, the valley also introduced us to the wonders of punk music, via a thriving basement scene present in Harrisonburg. We hope that both of those influences shine through on “Medicine” and paint a picture of the place we called home.”
“Medicine” will be available on all digital streaming platforms on Friday, December 2nd. To view the music video, click here. To pre-save “Medicine,” visit palmyra.lnk.to/sillandglade. To stay up-to-date about all things Palmyra, visit www.palmyratheband.com.
