This Friday, Tenille Townes will release her brand new EP – Masquerades – through Sony Music Nashville. The EP heralds a new, more introspective era for Townes, after the success of her debut album ‘The Lemonade Stand.’ Pre-save the EP here.
When Tenille Townes released her debut album The Lemonade Stand, she offered a fresh voice in the country industry with her unique vocal tone and rock-country sound as she sang many stories of other people. On her brand new EP Masquerades, out this Friday, Townes indulges yet further in the rock side of her vocal. This new project shows the more vulnerable and intimate side of Townes’ lyricism and songwriting as she gets far more introspective – the result is incredibly powerful.
There’s an often cliched stereotype and tendency to forcefully celebrate the joys of being single, with artists singing of being empowered in that status – just look at Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies.’ On Masquerades, instead of falling into that cliche, Townes dares to reveal her own vulnerability and fears of being alone. It is a portrait that feels immensely intimate and liberating in its honesty. So, on pre-released single ‘When’s It Gonna Happen,’ Townes becomes wistful, pondering on when she will finally find ‘the one’ – ‘I look around and all my friends are fallin’ in love / I’m scared to death i’ll end up empty handed / Can’t be the only one / Thinking when’s it gonna happen, happen to me’ – and on ‘The Sound of Being Alone,’ Townes reflects on the soundtrack of that state. The latter is a grungier, rock-tinged sound that we have come to expect from Townes. ‘Too much of anything is never a good thing / Is it a bad thing I’m good on my own / I could say anything nobody’s listening / It’s just the sound of being alone?’ It’s a moody, guitar heavy track that offers a fresh sound for Townes. ‘Same Road Home’ is another moment about the universality of that feeling of being lost in love and life. ‘Ain’t we all just looking for answers, to ones that nobody knows / Ain’t we all just dying to feel like we’re not meant to be all alone / There’s a million different ways to go, but we’re all on the same road home.’ It’s a compellingly driving and anthemic track that will be an easy standout moment on the live circuit, particularly with the easy ‘woah’ refrain.
Still, she finds love in other areas – either with a friend or a neighbour. On ‘When You Need It,’ Townes elicits the help of her friend Wrabel in a track about being there for a friend. ‘Even if it’s just to hold your hand, say keep breathin / Sometimes a friend is all we needed / I’ll be there when you need it.’ The fragility of Townes vocal marries perfectly with Wrabel’s rich tone in this gloriously comforting track. ‘Shared Walls’ featuring BRELAND is an easy stand out, singing about the universality of loneliness in Townes musical letter to her neighbour – a situation that feels universal after the pandemic. ‘We share walls, we share feelings / Nights alone, staring at the ceiling / We might act like strangers on the street / But I know a lot about you, you know a lot about me / Shared walls.’ It’s another shrewd choice for a collaboration, marrying the honeyed tone of BRELAND’s vocal with her own, an intoxicatingly compelling track that will be an easy standout for many.
Arguably her most vulnerable moment on the record is created on ‘Villain In Me,’ a song about the ugly side of her own psyche. ‘A voice that I don’t wanna hear, the hurtful words I say / Long list of things about myself I wanna change / The heavy cloud that won’t leave even after it rains / I try to be a hero ’til it brings me to my knees / Yeah, there’s a villain in me.’ It’s a state that feels universal, but is a rarely touched topic in country music, refreshing in its honesty. The stripped back production allows the lyrics to speak for themselves, with light touch instrumentation to allow Townes vocal to step to the fore. Finally, Masquerades is rounded out with the delightfully light track ‘Light In Your Eyes,’ in which Townes recognises the joy in others, a beautifully whimsical, piano-traced track.
Masquerades is a delight and it is a pleasure to spend time with Townes in this newly intimate and vulnerable space. It’s a space that many will find not only refreshing but comforting as she narrates the universality of the emotions that we all experience – from joy to loneliness to pain and sorrow. It’s one of the most compelling ‘pandemic-originated’ projects that we have yet listened to and heralds a new era for Townes.
