Meantime/ Between Time: Autumn Hollow Announces New Single

Oak Honest Records’ newest members Autumn Hollow are set to release their latest single, Meantime/ Between Time, across digital platforms on April 28th. This will be the Boston based band’s first release for the label and their first since their 2013 self-titled debut album. We sat down with singer-guitarist Brendan Murphy to discuss their upcoming single.

Meantime/Between Time, what’s the song about?
BM: It’s about the necessity to exist at the moment. So much of our existence is moving from one task to the next task and we are always focused on what’s to come that we miss what is happening. Planning is an essential part of our lives but we forget to exist in the moment.

What was the writing process like for this tune?
BM: The writing of this song was like fishing. At first, I was playing the chords, sitting on the couch (dropping the line in the water) sort of staring off into space. Then at some point, the melody came to me and I started softly humming (recasting the line in the water) and then I noticed something. All of sudden I had company, (a bite!) someone had appeared and was still playing in their own world but they were also listening.

Usually writing songs is a solitary experience filled with me pacing back and forth playing the guitar, humming/ talking to myself/ mumbling to myself/and having full-blown conversations with myself/ lyrics, and repetition/ repetition/ repetition. This was different. I was going to try to write this song in the presence of another person. Someone who at the same time was listening and not listening. It was as if their subconscious was going to be my editor. The lyrics focus on two different aspects; one is a reminder to stay in the moment, and two is a conversation I was having with the person who was with me while I was writing. Did I catch the fish? Did I teach the man to fish? Did he teach me to fish? Who cares.

What influences helped bring this song to life?
BM: I am completely obsessed with a certain personality of a song. Usually, it’s the first song on a great record and it just has that feel. The melody does that thing, the instrumentation flows and builds, and the song just makes you feel things. Prime examples for me of this are Girl in a War by Josh Ritter, and I am Trying to Break Your Heart by Wilco.

Recently, I became obsessed with Manchester Orchestra- more specifically the 2017 album A Black Mile To The Surface – and even more specifically the first song on the album The Maze. I probably listened to that song 28 times in a row. Being a father, it was absolutely fucking mind-blowing that Andy Hull was able to capture the ginormous scope of what being a parent feels like. AND…he was able to do it with such incredible lyrics, melody, instrumentation, song structure, recording techniques, plug-ins, everything. Meantime/ Between Time was what was baking inside of me all those times I sat listening to the Maze.

Fans can pre-save the single on Spotify using this link:
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/autumnhollow/meantime-between-time