Cal In Red – “Kitchen” (Feat. James Mercer)
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Michigan brothers Connor and Kendall Wright, aka Cal In Red, are set to release their debut album Low Low on August 30 via B3SCI Records. They’ve already released singles such as “She Won’t Say,” “Boyfriend,” “Zebra,” and “Habits” — now they’ve got a pleasing new track featuring James Mercer of the Shins. It’s called “Kitchen.”
Apparently Mercer goes way back with the Wright bros. In 2017, their previous band Mertle won the Shins’ Van Contest with a cover of “Painting A Hole.” Kendall expands on this collaboration: “We like to call ‘Kitchen’ our ‘country song,’ kind of. Sonically, it’s a pivot from everything that the band has been up to this point. It’s a breakup song at its core, but one where you’re witnessing it from outside ruins. Having lived with two friends in love and then watching it crumble, the song came easy.”
He adds: “One of my favorite break-up songs is ‘Gone for Good’ by the Shins. It’s another song that sits comfortably in its country undertones. I’ve always loved James Mercer’s ability to be so specific in his voice, to make something that feels like it came from an innermost place and still have it be so relatable and obtainable. We ended up tossing a Hail Mary and asked James if he would lend his vocals on the song and to our surprise, he said yes. Everything he added was gold. His ability to give a song exactly what it needs is super special.”
Mercer also had nice things to say about “Kitchen”: “I’ve loved watching Cal In Red develop the past few years and after hearing ‘Kitchen,’ and the record, I was happy to get to collab!”
Listen to “Kitchen” below.
Low Low is out 8/30 via B3SCI Records.