Signe Marie Rustad’s third LP ‘When Words Flew Freely‘ is released on November 1st and ‘ Something Easier‘ is the second single from the album which we’re exclusively premiering today ahead of the single being released on September 27th. Signe Marie Rustad is Norwegian-American and is happy to find herself to be a strong part of the Nordicana sub-genre of Scandicana. God, but we love our sub-genres.

‘Something Easier’ has a deeply personal connection to Signe, as she explains “The verses for “Something Easier” were the last lyrics I wrote before a challenging time in my personal life hit me hard, and three years of writer’s block followed. Fast forward to 2018, I finished the song, writing the chorus as kind of an explanation, or summary, to myself about what had happened. The haunting – and, to me – unsettling humming that starts off and ends the song is my way of translating a feeling of uneasiness into the language of music. It reflects how I felt back when I first started writing the song. Despite the song’s birth through hopelessness, listening to it now makes me feel empowered.”

Born and raised on a farm in central Norway, the interplay of nature – be it forest, river or fields – have infused her music with a both a deep calm and an endless restless urge. As a result, many of her songs carry within them a search for a balance between these elements. After catching the attention of the growing Americana-loving audience in Norway with 2012 debut ‘Golden Town‘ – the title a reference to her mother’s hometown Golden, Colorado – Rustad secured her first Spellemann (Norwegian Grammy) nomination with critically acclaimed second album ‘Hearing Colors Seeing Noises‘.

Speaking of the musical evolution of the new song Signe Marie Rustad has explained how it grew into the full band recording it now is: “I really feel like the production of ‘Something Easier’ was a team effort. Kenneth Ishak – whom I co-produced the record with – really brought a lot to the table, and I loved working with him on this song. I didn’t really think we would bring the whole band in for it, but he had a vision for the chorus, and I love how it turned out. We started off recording only my voice and my guitar, without the rest of the band, at the same time. A little way into the first take, I knew that this was it. I remember almost holding my breath while I finished playing and singing, because I didn’t want to screw up something that felt so right. When the take was finished, Kenneth came in and said: “Have you been practicing, or what?!” Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who had felt it. That was the first take, and that was the one we ended up using.”