Fairbanks and the Lonesome Light Grapple with New Parenthood on “Alright”

Becoming a parent is one of life’s scariest undertakings, though it’s often one of the most rewarding, too. In a new track from their forthcoming album Nothing to Escape, Austin folk-rock quintet Fairbanks and the Lonesome Light explore the complicated rush of emotions that comes with impending parenthood.

“‘Alright’ is about becoming a parent when you’ve spent all of your adult life in a world where becoming a parent seemed, at the very least, out of place,” Erik Flores says. “From the swift, confusing, and emotionally stunning moment of finding out I was going to be parent, to the point of looking in the eyes of our inextricably and impossibly beautiful little future. A little cautious, a little dark, a little uncertain at times… still wrestling with the existential dilemmas that come with the creative’s territory, trying to reconcile the truth of two worlds, losing your taste for bullshit and suddenly watching the superfluous aspects of life fall away. All pretty scary stuff, but in the end, feeling grateful… and very alright.”

Nothing to Escape is out August 25. The album was produced by Brian Jonestown Massacre collaborator Raymond Richards and features guest organ from Dwight Yoakam player Brian Whelan.

Listen to “Alright” below.