Steel Blossoms release striking new single

2019 has been a pretty good year for indie country acts in the United States and Canada, and few know this better than Steel Blossoms, whose eponymous rookie album has been raising eyebrows for bluegrass, country and even alternative folk fans lately. “Revenge,” the fourth single from Steel Blossoms, gets a cinematic redressing in a new music video from the band this December, and if you’ve yet to take the time out to hear their work prior to now, its ghostly tale and the unmatched harmonies that accompany it are probably the best way to get to know their music, and more importantly, their immense talent for songwriting.

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The first thing that really caught my attention with “Revenge” was its chill-inducing strings, which come from a meticulously arranged violin and guitar. These two components are woven into one another seamlessly, but it’s never hard to tell where one end of the harmony is starting and another is fading away, probably because of the master mix’s superb quality. Nothing would compare to seeing this duo on stage, but for now, I’ll absolutely settle for the stereophonic mastery that they’ve set forth in this most recent studio effort.

From where I sit, the foundation of this track is 100% rooted in its instrumentation, but without the vocals taking over the limelight at the front of all the action, I don’t believe that “Revenge” would be nearly as evocative and stirring as it is. Sara Zebley and Hayley Prosser harmonize together so beautifully in this track, and you don’t have to be an expert in artistic interpretations to understand the clear emotional investment they both have in the substance of this narrative. It’s a strong performance that doesn’t allow for us to walk away unaffected, and that’s more than I can say for a lot of the single/video combos I’ve reviewed lately.

Cosmetically, the music video for “Revenge” probably didn’t need to be as theatrical in style as it is, but to be completely honest, it’s a really affective work of art because of the obvious amount of time and detail that went into its creation. Steel Blossoms aren’t being overly ambitious with their music at all here; on the contrary, they’re taking something simple and making it feel like a symphony through some fairly basic, uncomplicated concepts that most of their rivals would just as soon stay away from when developing a new release.

Whether you’re a newcomer to their sound or have been following their unfolding story since day one, Steel Blossoms’ new single and music video for “Revenge” are good listening no matter what your familiarity with the duo consists of. It’s hardly the only song they’ve made that’s worth writing home about, and although I would stop short of saying that it’s a smashing track as potent as some of the chart-toppers of 2019 have been, it’s hopefully but a small sneak-preview into what we can expect to hear out of their future releases in the 2020s. They’ve still got room for growth, but this is undisputedly some really incredible work from their camp.

Nicole Killian