Mobile confession booth, recording studio, and podcast Song Confessional collects recordings of people recounting their stories, and sends those recordings to artists to inspire original songs. Their latest collaboration is with Pom Pom Squad, whose leader Mia Berrin was inspired by an anonymous man's story of the ending of his marriage, following the death of his father. We're premiering the resulting track, "River," and you can stream it below.
"River" moves away from the grungy sounds of Pom Pom Squad's 2021 debut LP, Death of a Cheerleader, for something more slowed-down and atmospheric. Berrin worked on the song with songwriter and producer Boyfriend and in-house Song Confessional producers Walker Lukens and Jim Eno (of Spoon), and she says, "Working on this project with Boyfriend, Walker, and Jim was certainly a learning experience for me. Pretty much everything about the Song Confessional process is antithetical to my writing process for PPS. For starters, more often than not, I write alone and I write slowly. Certain songs I’ve held onto for years - waiting until I deem myself, my work, my circumstances, good enough to release them. Having to conceptualize, write, and record a song for release in a day required me to rewire my brain in a way that was challenging and, initially, anxiety-inducing, but ultimately was incredibly valuable. It was also just a lot of fun to spend a scorching day in Texas messing around in the playground that is Jim Eno’s studio! I’m very grateful to have been a part of it."