Here’s the video premiere of the latest single from The Storm Windows. ‘Sweet Amelia’ is a bluegrass song at its heart, with a full, layered sound and a lovely, engaging melodic lightness. It’s a conscious blend of old and new and the band note of their style: “When we record our originals, we debate over a classic versus contemporary sound. Where we land is we want something that twenty years from now, or even twenty years ago, still sounds timely.” This is a good description of the The Storm Windows’ classy musicianship, which is evident in this single, and the timeless quality of their music.
New York-based brothers Rob and Don Mathews formed The Storm Windows and released their self-titled debut early in 2022. The pair chose the band name as a tribute to John Prine and his classic song and album ‘Storm Window’, on which he sang: “I sit alone just looking at the world through a storm window…And watched a man just beating his hand against a storm window.” His smart lyricism is something The Storm Windows strive to bring to their own songs. Rob explains that the band was also named: “…in part as an appropriate description of some veteran musicians who have weathered a few storms but are still standing and singing about it.”
‘Sweet Amelia’ is taken from The Storm Windows’ second album, which is due out on 3rd March 2023 and can be pre-ordered and pre-saved here. The aptly-named ‘Second Album’ covers a range of themes, including a topical look at a divided America. The brothers say: “The record has an overarching theme of hope. We didn’t set out to make a statement, or concept album, but it partly came out that way. No one wants ‘hit-me-over-the-head’ protest songs anymore, so we’ve focused on universal themes – like just trying to be better.”
Mixing originals with well-chosen covers, the duo produce a combination of Americana, folk and classic rock. Rob says of their approach to creating new music: “Since the mainstream music industry moved on from our demographic a while ago, we didn’t feel any pressure to conform to any particular sound or genre, other than timelessness.” Timelessness sounds like a great target to aim for. Enjoy.
