Video Premiere: Evening Bell, “Tail Light”

Country, psychedelia and classical don’t typically mix, but Seattle band Evening Bell blend the seemingly disparate genres with ease. That ease is on full display on their forthcoming debut Dying Stars, out August 12.

Evening Bell songwriters Hart Kingsbery and Caitlin Sherman found the perfect visual for their distinctive sound in the eerie new video for tune “Tail Light,” which features the two exploring a post-apocalyptic cityscape in a 1972 Roadrunner and a 1964 Dodge Dart GT.

“‘Tail Light’ was one of the first songs Hart and I wrote together,” Sherman says. “Lyrically we invested our own story and frustrations of the beginning of our relationship. The neighborhood we live and work in (Ballard, Seattle) has a wonderful community and small town feel. But say you’re starting a new relationship and you want some, well, privacy? That small town feel can get a little overwhelming. So if you’re not outwardly ‘together’ – if you’re ‘tailing someone’ …a ‘satellite’ – how long can that hold up? And will the other person be patient enough to wait for you to come around? There’s little hints of Seattle locales, ‘dance hall by the lake,’ etc.”

While Hart and Sherman front Evening Bell, the contributions of their band members are just as valuable, as Sherman notes that “Tail Light” itself evolved dramatically from its original incarnation after taking it into the studio.

“Musically, we brought it to the band shortly before we went in to the studio as a pretty straight forward ballad,” she adds. “The groove that Jason [Merculief] and Aaron [Harmonson] came up with, along with the Beethoven-style chord voicing, gave the song a dark and biting twist. And Hart demanded some string hits for an added cinematic edge. I think this was Ryan’s [Leyva, the song’s producer] favorite track to work on.”

Watch the video for “Tail Light” below.