Americana Highways brings you this song premiere of Seattle trio Waterpenny’s “Rules” from their upcoming debut album Forward Motion, due to be released on October 4th. The songs on Forward Motion were written and recorded by WaterPenny, produced by Lane Patterson in Seattle, mixed by Jon Stinson in Nashville, and mastered by Kevin Bressler in Seattle. The cover art is by Dimitris Solomou. “Rules” is Wes Speight on vocals, piano, and harmonica, Lane Patterson on vocals, guitar, drums, and bass; and Amy Begley on vocals and synth.
The trio builds on a dark rhythmic core, fanning out after the song reaches a certain breaking point, and soaring into an inspirational imperative: “The rules are meant to be broken.” Earmark Forward Motion for a foray into an anthemic, crisp, harmonious album this fall.
Inspired by thinkers who broke societal norms, “Rules” explores the idea that progress is only achieved when people are willing to push intellectual and cultural boundaries. With quotes from philosophers Thoreau and Sartre, “Rules” reminds us that rules should at a minimum be questioned. Otherwise, one becomes a fool when blindly following the structures that other people have put into place. It’s not only about figuring out what is individually fulfilling but also about questioning the status quo. Where would we be now without rule-breakers such as Frederick Douglas and Susan B. Anthony? There are rules that need to be broken today to ensure equality for everyone. If music is the universal language then our hope is that this is a good place to start. — Wes Speight