Prolific musicians and songwriters, Crimson Calamity will debut their new EP, “Wild Card,” on February 11th, 2022.
The Nashville duo, comprised of Lauren Harding and Mallory Trunnell, have been writing and performing together since 2014.
Inspired by the music of Fleetwood Mac and the Civil Wars, they merge Americana and Folk Rock in a way that connects with listeners across borders. On their newest project, they set to write and record with a hit list of Nashville studio stars, including drummer Chris Powell (Brandi Carlile, A Star is Born), Guitarist Sadler Vaden (Jason Isbel & The 400 Unit), and Bass and Cello player Brian Allen (A Star is Born, Reba).
All songs were produced, engineered, mixed by Gena Johnson, the album was recorded at woman-owned MOXE and Studio G in Nashville, TN.
The free-spirited opening song, “Wild Card,” sets the tone for an EP that encapsulates the hope and intensity of the EP itself. Infused between the rambling guitar and cascade of hopeful harmonies, the story of love comes at you full throttle.
“Ghost,” featuring guitarist Zane Carney (John Mayer, Carney, Johnny Lang), brings the tone down for a moment as a soft whisper of a ballad. An aching and painful track, it reflects on what it’s like to lose the love you once had. As they watch the love fade into a ghost, their quiet and reminiscent vocals flow fluidly over each guitar lick and every slow lift of the music.
The female team that produced, mixed, and recorded the track brings a sense of loss and femininity that is so often needed in music production. The coinciding video, which encapsulates the sense of loss through heartbreaking visuals, was featured on PM Studio.
Things kick back up on “Due West,” a tribute to the coast that raised the Nashville transplants. Inspired by spots like Big Sur, the California coast, and the Pacific Northwest, the duo bring to life all the aspects of west coast life that never leave the natives. A stunning dobro and fiddle weave through the guitar and organ, building in a wistful sense of peace as they reminisce on the land that raised them and their musical sensibilities.
On “Tumbleweed,” the duo explores the sense of letting go that comes after a break-up. That sense of searching for your freedom and letting the wind lead you where it may. Fun and upbeat, its stripped-down attitude adds to the sense of “good times” that we all crave after heartbreak.
The EP comes to a beautiful end with “Sowyn Song,” written by Mallory and fellow producer and songwriter Kris Bradley on the shores of Lake Michigan, it taps into the essence of pain and watching as it finally begins to fade.
Filled with quintessential country influences, including the Cello, dobro, and fiddle, you can’t help but pour a cup of coffee and look out over the rising sun. Hopeful vocals began to heal the pain and leave a lasting impression for an EP filled with beautiful, reflective tracks.
Crimson Calamity comes into their own as they touch on everything from missing carefree moments with friends to healing from the heartbreak of your present on “Wild Card”
