New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Today, H.C. McEntire shares her new single "Soft Crook" via Merge Records. An unfiltered reflection of navigating depression, the strikingly hopeful song is accompanied by a DIY music video she filmed herself. This weekend, H.C. McEntire will hit the road on a fall tour supporting Bob Mould, with stops in Nashville, Atlanta, Vienna and more.
"'Soft Crook' was an exercise in vulnerability and trust," says McEntire. "At its narrative core, the lyrics expose my struggle with depression through an unfiltered lens-calling it what it is, shaking hands with it, unapologetically honoring the power of its grip. It's a mysterious and unpredictable companion that can make walking this world feel like slogging through unforgiving fields of mud." She explains, "Navigating the nuances of pandemic isolation while under a debilitating depression fog was the most alone I have ever felt. To embody grief honestly, to embrace its clumsy and unhinged corners-to survive-required efforts and elixirs of self-preservation. The chorus became an anthem, of sorts; a mantra for letting go of guilt in needing these things-whether medication or TV shows or other vices-to offer myself some grace."
She continues, "I also wanted to capture a moment in time last fall when I'd opened myself back up to love; a way to summon the feeling of resting deeply in my girlfriend's arms-that safety in hold, that transfer of both white-hot surrender and soft certainty, being touched strong and gentle at the same time; when guards are down and there is peace, if only for a moment, in the quiet consent of joy. So I walked to the front porch and snapped a photo of the late afternoon sky as proof, a reminder that there is much to feel, and much to lose. That love needs to be nurtured, even if stacked with unknowns. And we need to nurture ourselves as best we can, with whatever it takes to move towards another dawn."
Raised in the Blue Ridge foothills of rural Appalachia before earning her B.F.A. in Creative Writing, H.C. McEntire delivers deeply reflective country storytelling that straddles the line between music and poetry. One of the most compelling voices in contemporary Americana, McEntire confronts themes of depression, love, loss and accountability with unwavering honesty. She established a reputation for her raw, soulful voice as frontwoman of Mount Moriah and later as a backup singer in
Angel Olsen's band, before striking out on her own with her debut solo album LIONHEART in 2018. That release, along with 2020's follow-up Eno Axis, garnered widespread acclaim from press including Aquarium Drunkard, BrooklynVegan, UNCUT, UPROXX, Stereogum and more. Pitchfork praised her "searing voice and imagistic songwriting" and Flood declared "McEntire's vocals have topsoil grit while being soaring and formidable."
View a full list of tour dates below and at this link: www.hcmcentire.com/live
H.C. McEntire 2022 Tour Dates:
October 7 - Louisville, KY @ Headliners
Music Hall
October 8 - Bloomington, IN @ Buskirk-Chumley Theater
October 9 - Nashville, TN @ City Winery
October 11 - Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club
October 12 - Atlanta, GA @ City Winery
October 14 - Ponte Vedra Beach, FL @ Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
October 15 - Charleston, SC @ Charleston Pour House
October 16 - Carrboro, NC @ ARTS CENTER
October 18 - Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry **
October 19 - Vienna, VA @ Wolf Trap **
October 21 - Annapolis, MD @ Ram's Head On Stage **
October 22 - Rocky Mount, VA @ Harvester Performance Center **
October 23 - Asheville, NC @ Grey Eagle **
