My favorite husband and wife duo, Shovels & Rope, gave the world a new single today. “The Devil is All Around” is one of the tracks on their upcoming August release, a full-length album, Swimmin’ Time.
The vocals exchanged between Trent and Hearst are independent, while at the same time unified to such an extent as to become almost a third and integral member of the band. Hearst’s winsome voice dominates and embellishes, with her charmingly untamed and assorted harmonies, while Trent is the foundation which sustains the core of their chant. This interaction is a “gift that keeps on giving,” and giving, and giving.
Based on my listen of “The Devil is All Around,” it’s safe to say we can expect a resurgence of the sounds of their first album in Swimmin’ Time, which is exactly what their fans insist upon. Shovels & Rope doesn’t need to throw drastic differences our way, album-by-album, in order to hold our attention. Rather consistently, they feed their audience with thrilling nuances song-by-song, line-by-line. Their creations are dependable, yet ingeniously unpredictable.
Listen for yourself and take note of their sermon-esque introduction, resembling that of a church service (which I think we can all agree they have the congregation for):
