Oh gang, I’m in a funk. Nothing too morbid, I assure thee, and if I begin to describe what this entails, you’ll write me off as a whiny whippersnapper. But maybe you’ve been here before. You can function at a basic level in public, focus on mundane tasks, and push your body to typical extremes. And yet, a longing you can’t articulate gnaws at your core, muffs your usual swagger, shunts you into the background of any conversation. Each day under this spell shrinks you, to the point that you can effectively erase yourself out of any gathering. Do you know what I mean?

You’re wondering what any of this has to do with Neighbor Lady. Trust me, it’s everything: pop songs are perhaps the only legitimate way to talk about unrequited romance, indeed perhaps the only way to legitimize that as pain and distress rather than just some harmless whim. “Fine” captures a kind of country-kissed rock that I’m such a sucker for, one that’s armed to the teeth with grit and hooks but smacks you sweetly like a breeze in the dead of summer. What’s more, this pageant of dust and fire validates that quiet crippling logic in your head, gives voice to the funk that you’ve doubted and loathed in yourself. I mean, I GUESS I could mention some reference points here—that first Honeyblood record, Outer Spaces, Sparrow & the Workshop—but then the shrinking takes hold again. No, don’t mind me, I don’t know what I’m talking about.

All I know is, Neighbor Lady get me, and I will happily ride this funk out with them till Valentine’s Day destroys me utterly.

“Fine” is the first single from Neighbor Lady’s upcoming LP, Maybe Later, due out this spring. To help gear up for the album’s release, the band is hitting the road tomorrow for a quick run of dates with fellow Athens residents Futurebirds. The band also managed to squeeze in an ATL date next Wednesday at 529 in support of Texas folk rockers Lomelda. Check out the full list of dates below.

Jan 26 – Jacksonville, FL – Intuition Ale*
Jan 27 – Tallahassee, FL – Club Down Under*
Jan 31 – Atlanta, GA – 529
Feb 01 – Mobile, AL – Merry Widow*
Feb 02 – New Orleans, LA – One Eyed Jacks*
Feb 03 – Baton Rouge, LA – Spanish Moon*
Feb 09 – Jackson, MS – Martins*
Feb 10 – Nashville, TN – The Basement East*

* w/ Futurebirds

Neighbor Lady will perform on Wed., Jan. 31 at 529 alongside Lomelda and Chick Wallace. Doors open at 9 p.m. Admission is $8. 21+ to enter.

More Info
Web: neighborlady.biz
Bandcamp: neighborlady.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @neighborladymusic
Instagram: @neighbor_lady