A total resurgence of country music seems to be happening, spearheaded by artists with perspectives that haven’t been heard, never mind championed, within a genre that upholds content uniformity limited to beer, trucks, tractors, women, and not much else. One such artist ushering in this new era of progressive country is Georgia-born Honey Harper, aka William Fussell. Today, he’s released a single titled “Vaguely Satisfied” as part of a two song EP. Following his 2017 debut EP Universal Country, Harper is also currently working on a full length LP that’s expected in the fall.

“Vaguely Satisfied” is a quiet track. Acoustic plucks lead into a melodically soaring chorus backed by an atmospheric synth pad. “I was like the cup of rain that came to cover up the spring/ And you were almost everything/ And I was vaguely satisfied,” he bluely croons in a voice comparable to George Strait. The line is syllabically metered in such a catchy and fascinating way. It’s left alone to resonate as an instrumental section swirls with flutes, pedal steel guitar washes, and some sort of mutated seagull sound. Long story short: it’s fantastic, and we’re excited to see what’s next for this guy.

Via email, Harper shared some background on the song:

In country music, the archetype of a break-up song is a common occurrence. I suppose in all music it is…This song does not represent a specific moment or personal relationship in my life. It’s a story of modern malaise and then, eventually, acceptance. It is perhaps an analogy to my general personal feelings on music, the ongoing world around me while it all seemingly goes to hell in a handbasket, me letting go of a darker part of my family, or, maybe, it’s just a story. The most personal aspect of this song to me is the composition and its influence from Mariangela Celeste, the Italian-Greek singer-songwriter, who shares writing credit with me on this track. Her self-titled album (produced by Vangelis) helped guide me to discover my new sound for my songs.

Check out Honey Harper’s “Vaguely Satisfied” below along with prior single “Strawberry Lite.”

TRACKLIST:
05/04 – Leeds, UK @ Live at Leeds
05/07 – London, UK @ The Courtyard Theatre
05/10 – Brighton, UK @ The Great Escape Festival
05/25 – Amsterdam, NL @ De Nieuwe Anita#
06/12 – New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
06/15 – Manchester, Tennessee @ Bonnaroo
06/18 – Los Angeles, CA @ Gold Diggers
07/01 – Norwich, UK @ NAC*
07/02 – Manchester, UK @ Gorilla*
07/03 – Glasgow, UK @ Oran Mor*
07/04 – Edinburgh, UK @ Caves*
07/07 – Nottingham, UK @ Rescue Rooms*
07/08 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social*
07/09 – Dublin, UK @ Whelan’s*
07/11 – Brighton, UK @ The Haunt*
07/12 – London, UK @ EartH*

# with Drugdealer
* with Mattiel

“Strawberry Lite” b/w “Vaguely Satisfied” is out now on ATO Records. Purchase it here.