Song Premiere: ELDR “Safe With You”

ELDR:  “Safe With You”

Americana Highways presents this premiere of ELDR’s song “Safe With You” from their new EP Nowhere Else to Go, due to be released on October 29.  This song will be available on September 17. Nowhere Else to Go was produced by Jameson Elder; mixed by Dewey Boyd at Forty-One Fifteen in Nashville; and mastered by Duncan Ferguson at The Voltage Exchange.

“Safe With You” was written by Hanna Rae and Jameson Elder. The song is Hanna Rae on vocals and background vocals; Jameson Elder on vocals, background vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keys, organ, bass, and programming; and Jon Truman on drums and percussion.  We chatted briefly with Hanna Rae about this song.  The exclusive premiere appears just beneath the interview.

Americana Highways: What inspired you to write this song? What is the story behind it? What is it about?

Hanna Rae: One night, around 2 a.m., I woke up to the sound of screaming outside of our bedroom window. I quickly woke Jameson and tasked him with looking outside. He came back a minute later and, to my surprise, told me that it was a couple of neighborhood cats that were fighting. We had a late-night laugh, but in that initial moment of fear I found inspiration. I wrote “Safe With You” the next morning.

AH: Do you consider this song — and your music in general — a place for you to work through things that are weighing on you or that you are trying to process? Do you find songwriting therapeutic? Did writing this song help you in some way?

HR: Absolutely. Especially with a lot of the news that has been at the center of the last few years, writing has helped both of us to sort through and process the heaviness. Even though the “inspiring event” around “Safe With You” is quite funny, the sentiment goes a lot deeper than that single moment.

AH: What was the recording session like for this song? Any stories in particular about recording this song?

HR: We recorded this at the beginning of the pandemic, before studios in Nashville had opened back up. Jameson had toured with drummer Jon Truman as a part of another band, and he was able to record drums remotely from his place. Everything else we recorded ourselves in our home studio in Nashville. It was pretty low pressure, so we were able to take our time to really nail down the parts and sounds without having to worry about studio fees. We adopted our dog, Capo, right in the middle of the recording process and learned that it takes a lot longer to record something when there’s a puppy around who just wants to play!

AH: What do you hope listeners hear in its music and lyrics?

HR: Both of us use music and songwriting as a place to process our emotions, and we hope our listeners can have the same experience. Music, at its best, helps people to remember that they are not alone, that, somewhere out there, someone else is going through something similar. We feel like we have covered a pretty wide emotional range with our songs so far, from deep sorrow to unbridled joy. Hopefully, we can meet listeners somewhere in between.

AH: This song is from your forthcoming EP. What made you want to release this song into the world before the EP comes out?

HR: Thematically, this song is right at the center of the EP. So much of this EP is about finding comfort in the midst of uncertainty and sorrow, and “Safe With You” hits that pretty straight on. Sonically, it’s right in the middle of the music we have made as individuals, so we felt like it was a good place to introduce people to ELDR.

ELDR music pre-save link: https://onerpm.link/848213315164

ELDR makes some pretty, country-style music, the good kind.  Listen and see.