The latest single from John Louis has the feel of a song by John Prine or Kris Kristofferson, thanks to the beautifully constructed lyrics and his warmly characterful vocals. A real highlight of ‘Gone Too Far’ is the way the voices of Louis and backing singer Siri Undlin move together and lean on one another; they each complement the other perfectly and their combination adds another dimension to an already lovely melody. Along with Undlin, Louis is backed by an outstanding group of players: Jeremy Boettcher’s bass and Shane Leonard’s drums give the song a gentle rhythm while Sam Kassirer (Josh Ritter) provides piano and organ. Ben Lester (S. Carey, Bon Iver) delivers impressively dreamy pedal steel and mellotron. The musicians’ collective impact is to create a song that bears repeated plays and soon feels like a familiar favourite.
Louis shared the story behind the song and video with AUK: “The video for ‘Gone Too Far’ was created by talented artists Erik Elstran and Sarah Elstran. Both are gifted, kind, creative souls who do incredible things with video and music. Like many of my songs, ‘Gone Too Far’ came from a combination of observations, stories, and my own experiences. Part of the inspiration was thinking about the things you can’t take with you, and the things that are always with you. I had been playing this song out solo for a while before recording the single, and I love how the recording transformed the song. Producer Shane Leonard did an amazing job, and Siri Undlin’s backing vocals add a new layer of meaning.”
Louis draws us into the song with artfully chosen words and real poetry: “Pack up your beauty // Pack up your inspirations // Secrets and mysteries // Affections and revelations // In a box by the back door // Close enough to grab on your way to the car // When it’s gone too far.” There’s wistful heartache and weariness in Louis’ timeless country-folk and his talents have been recognised by the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriter Showcase and the Kerrville New Folk competition, where he was a finalist in 2019.
We’re delighted to premiere the video for ‘Gone Too Far’, an authentic song for those looking for human stories, real emotion and heart in musical form.
