NY-based multi-instrumentalist Quinn McGovern, aka Sister James, has spent much of his coronavirus lockdown working on new music. He'll be sharing some of it as a new EP, I Hate It Here Pt. 1, due out April 16th via KRO Records, the label founded by Lawrence and Yves Rothman, to which Sister James just signed recently.
The EP's first single is a collaboration with Samia, a striking track called "Questions." It begins with a droning, shoegazey swell before descending into a sweet but sluggish acoustic melody, as Quinn sings softly, painting a picturesque image of a dream-like, ethereal countryside. Soon, the drums pick back up, signaling Samia to accompany Quinn on the chorus.
The collaboration between the two NY musicians came to fruition after Samia heard and enjoyed the track when Quinn played it in a Portland backyard while she had been touring with his band. "I was totally blown away," Samia recalls. "Quinn has influenced so much of my songwriting over the past 3 years; we've written together and demoed most of my songs together. I feel very lucky to get to be a part of this song three years later, after it's already inspired so much of my work and feels like such an integral part of our music community."
"Hearing her music since we met on that tour has given me so much of the inspiration that I have depended on while approaching my own music," Quinn says of Samia. "I couldn’t imagine an easier artist to work with, and the idea that her voice is gracing one of these silly songs is so special to me."
You can hear the track and see the I Hate It Here Pt. 1 tracklist below.