We all know that good things don’t last forever. Most of us try to avoid thinking too much about the transition between fantastic times and tough times, or even experiences of great wonder and regular ol’ existence. But something that we might miss amid that perfectly natural reaction is the growth and renewal that change can bring, as uncomfortable as it may be.
That idea is at the center of “Coming Down,” a new track from songsmith Esmé Patterson. She recently arrived in our area from Colorado; she’s often on the road, but if you were on time to Os Mutantes’ show at The Blue Room in March, you got a chance to see her work her magic in person.
The gentle tune is the second single previewing Patterson's fifth LP Notes From Nowhere. The song is her wistful spin on folk blues, in which she uses just a few simple words to relate the experience, telling more about it by the way she sings them: “I’ve been coming down / Yes, I put my feet down on the ground / Gotta come down sometime.”
We’re very pleased to premiere the video for the song, filmed by Zack Buersmeyer. Following the theme, the elements are simple: A single camera focuses on a quiet city street, with a construction site closed up for the night in the background, and Patterson walks through the scene. Sometimes she moves forward, sometimes in reverse; sometimes she’s fully there and sometimes fading out; most of the time she’s alone, but occasionally a car or someone on a scooter — or a ghostly impression of them — slips by. It’s a quiet meditation on living in the moment.
Notes From Nowhere is out Oct. 10; you can preorder via Bandcamp or find pre-saving options through Patterson’s website. Also on Oct. 10, Patterson plays a release party at The 5 Spot, with support from two fellow superb songsmiths: Ziona Riley and Abby Johnson, whose self-titled debut LP is out Sept. 15.
