RR Williams – “Photographs”
Americana Highways brings you this premiere of RR Williams’ song “Photographs” from his forthcoming album Unremarkable Lives, coming out this Friday August 9 on Black Mesa Records. Unremarkable Lives was produced, mixed and mastered by John Moreland.
“Photographs” is RR Williams on vocals, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, and bass guitar; and J. Moreland on electric guitar, mandolin, percussion, and drums. Given that it comes from an album titled Unremarkable Lives, this song fits right in, featuring the struggle that sticks with you, of growing up in “a place where misery finds company… with teenage angst never reconciled, we stood for nothing we could define…” How many unremarkable lives are being lived? This song shines a flashlight on those who judge the kids who are trying to think for themselves, shake off the chains of judgement and try something new with their lives. The small town judgement can be so heavy, and RR Williams nails it. Produced by John Moreland, the acoustic instruments are bright and shiny goodness.
This song had many different forms while trying to figure out what it was. Initially it was a borderline punk rock song heavily influenced by The Downtown Struts. The song is about coming from Christian youth group culture and the hang ups and guilt and weirdness that can follow you into adulthood. Trying to reconcile being a rebellious teenager and the allure of subversive subcultures like punk rock and skateboarding with your core friend group being mostly outwardly religious Christians and looking at that time with the perspective that basically none of us made it into their twenties as a believer in any of it. – RR Williams
You can find the music here:
https://blackmesarecords.com/collections/r-r-williams
https://rrwilliams.bandcamp.com/album/unremarkable-lives
