With their new song, The NYC folk trio hopes to offer comfort to anyone feeling the weight of loss
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It’s impossible not to feel like a broken record lately as I continue to preface posts and captions (and conversations with customer service reps) with references to “these times,” “our current reality” and, on the rare occasion when I’m not treating the virus like Voldemort, the actual word: COVID.
But try as I might to conjure an original thought… something more exciting or insightful or at least less depressing… I usually can’t. Because this is simply the most consistently significant context for our present—the backdrop against which everything is happening and, by proxy, all art is being made.
Over these past nine months—an exhausting blur of hand washing and horrific headlines—it’s the amazing music being created that’s helped me track time (and stay sane), each release serving as both a mile marker and a bright spot on this truly bizarre journey we’ve all found ourselves on. So with that, I’d like to introduce you to the latest song I have the immense privilege of debuting—a lovely track that’s not simply being released during “these times,” but with the honorable intention of offering some comfort in the midst of them.
From my incredibly talented friends, The Ladles, this is “Louise.”
While the new song from the NYC folk trio is rooted in personal loss, the artists’ harmonies convey a collective grief, and ahead of the song’s release, Caroline Kuhn—who wrote “Louise”—shared the band’s hopes for the song and some details on the loved one who inspired it:
“‘Louise’ is about my grandmother, Louise Rich. Born in 1935, she was a master baker, scrabble player, and an incredible friend to many. This song is a dedication to her, and speaks to the strength that can be found in connecting to our lineage after our loved ones have left the earth. Today, as the coronavirus continues to take its toll, we are facing a collective grief, unprecedented in our lifetimes. We hope this song will bring you some comfort, whether you have lost a loved one, or you are simply feeling the weight of our shared loss.”
With that, I’ll leave you to listen and, if you’re suffering, hopefully find some solace in the stirring strings and moving lyrics of The Ladles—
I’ll see you at the next mile marker.
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Follow The Ladles at @ladlesband, join their Patreon, buy their music on Bandcamp and add them to your Spotify playlist.
Feature image provided by the band.