Listen: The Wealthy West, “Not A Pretty Pair”

Austin, Texas-based Americana band The Wealthy West recently won over hungry music fans at SXSW and put out a killer debut EP, Volume 1. We’re proud to offer this exclusive, harmony-laden track from the EP, “Not A Pretty Pair,” which has its origins in a “super secret songwriting club” deep in the heart of Texas. Get the full story from frontman Brandon Kinder below — we probably shouldn’t even be telling you about this.

The Wealthy West: Not A Pretty Pair

What inspired “Not A Pretty Pair?”

At the beginning of last year I was invited to be a part of a super secret songwriting club started by Bob Schneider (I probably shouldn’t even be telling you about it). Basically, each week someone recommends a word or a phrase and everyone in the club writes a song and incorporates that phrase into the song somehow. This was the very first song I wrote for the club; that particular week the phrase was “not a pretty pair.”

Was writing it easy or hard to pull off?

I think with the excitement of being invited into the club, things just started pouring out of me pretty easily. I think I wrote the song and recorded everything in about a day and half.

How did recording the song go?

It was a lot of fun! When it comes to things I record for The Wealthy West, I like to just go with my gut. I think it adds a nice character to a song, when it’s not dissected and analyzed in every way imaginable. When I started recording it I had the progression, melody, and lyrics. Everything else was just thought up on the spot, and once I thought it was probably finished, I exported it. I never went back and redid anything or tried new ideas, I just left it how it was. It has a “fresh” feel in that way. I love the harmonies on the choruses. I think they add a nice touch. I’m all about harmonies.