ADAM LYTLE – “HIGHWAY NIGHTMARE”
A SPILL EXCLUSIVE MUSIC PREMIERE
A technician of the sacred, Adam Lytle writes songs that explore the darker regions of the heart. Wielding the language of the unconscious, he confronts the ordinary with the arcane, summoning radical transformations with each sonorous figure played on his Spanish guitar. With its striking lyricism and evocative arrangements, his solo debut, This is the Fire introduces a new voice in the haunted tower of longing where the likes of Leonard Cohen and Scott Walker reside. Known for the mysterious power of his live performances, Lytle honed his craft for years leading acclaimed bands, Quicksilver Daydream and Wild Leaves. He has won crowds all over North America; sharing the stage with Marlon Williams, Daniel Romano, and Imarhan and appearing at festivals like NXNE, MidPoint Music Festival, and CMJ; with more on the horizon.
“Highway Nightmare” is a song of spinning wheels. It’s a song with no way out. You started down this road so long ago you’ve forgotten how you got there. The thrill had you hooked. You turned the radio up, rolled the windows down, and felt the wind rush through your hair. Life is good when the wheels are in motion. You chased that endless horizon day and night but it was always just out of reach. Before you knew it, you’d lost track of time, missed a turn, and gone too far in the wrong direction. Now, you’re looking for an off ramp, some way back to where you were before. But that’s not how this highway works and neither does time. There’s no turning this rig around. So, what are you going to do? Count your tear drops ’til kingdom come? That’s its own kind of dead end. No, the only way forward is through. Take a breath, grip the wheel and pray.
For This is the Fire, the American musician enlisted arranger, Trey Pollard (Faye Webster, Kevin Morby), to cloak Lytle’s stark, lyric-driven performances in dramatic orchestral arrangements. Over the course of ten tracks, Lytle explores themes of death, religion, love and violence with an immediacy reflective of the fragmented nature of our time. The album was mixed and mastered by longtime collaborator, Jonathan Schenke (Liars, Parquet Courts). Contributions from Ryan Jewell (Ryley Walker), Scott Colberg (Calexico), James Preston, and Cameron Kapoor further enrich Lytle’s symbolic landscapes. The result is a vivid collection of songs that achieve greater depths of mystery and meaning with time. Release date: October 20, 2023.
Adam Lytle
[Single]
(Independent)
Release Date: July 19, 2023