Bay area indie rockers Sour Widows described their music to us as: “Friendship, spiderweb, loud, soft.” Today, they’re back with the song “Witness,” their first new material since last year’s visceral Crossing Over, and they somehow manage to capture those four elements in it. They’ve also announced tour dates for this summer and fall.
“This is the first song we finished since I lost my mom in June 2021,” said Susanna Thomson in a statement. “When we started playing together again last fall after being on hiatus for several months because of my mom’s illness, I was feeling easily overwhelmed by most things, and playing and writing were very difficult. Returning to this existing instrumental we had written together before everything in my life changed felt comforting and supportive. Monumental loss creates a very clear divide between those in your life who can understand the depth of that kind of pain and those who can’t. ‘Witness’ speaks to that experience.”
This intensity comes through in the sprawling track with hypnotizing harmonies and stunning lyrics: “I can’t show you / How to reach through / To the feeling / It would kill you.” The group is label-mates with similarly striking bands Pet Fox and Ovlov, who also find revelation in cathartic, dreamy instrumentals.
Listen to “Witness” above and find their tour dates below.
07/29 — Oakland, CA @ Eli’s Mile High Club ^
08/05 — Los Angeles, CA @ Silver Lake Lounge ~
09/08 — Burlington, VT @ Radio Bean
09/10 — Providence, RI @ Holiday Inn
09/13 — Boston, MA @ O’Briens *
09/14 — Brooklyn, NY @ Trans-Pecos *
09/15 — Philadelphia, PA @ Ukie Club *
09/17 — Richmond, VA @ Gallery5 *
09/18 — Baltimore, MD @ Joe Squared *
^ w/ Olivia Kaplan & Diners
~ w/ Olivia Kaplan & Fime
* w/ Living Hour