Asheville, North Carolina-based Amanda Anne Platt & The Honeycutters have long been known for their introspective and lyrically driven country roots music, and their new album, The Ones That Stay, promises to deepen that reputation.
Released on August 9th via Mule Kick Records, this seventh full-length studio album explores the complexities of real-life relationships with a blend of empathy and wit. Platt’s ability to weave plain-talk poetry with profound emotion is evident in tracks like “Big Year” and “Forget Me Not Blue,” offering listeners a heartfelt journey through the trials and beauties of human connections. Produced by Scott McMicken of Dr. Dog and Greg Cartwright of Reigning Sound, The Ones That Stay is a testament to Platt’s growth as a songwriter and her band’s cohesive artistry.
Platt filled us in on the new album and much more!
The Ones That Stay delves into the beauties and trials of real-life relationships. Can you share what inspired you to explore these themes on this album?
I think that real-life relationships have always been the driving force behind my songwriting, though as I get older, the kinds of relationships have changed a bit. In my 20s, I found a lot of inspiration in romance and friendship. Now, approaching 40, I’m definitely more driven to explore the intergenerational relationships within families and the way that humans relate to one another on a larger scale. But I’m not sure if any of that is intentional, it’s just how I’ve shifted as a songwriter and a human in these past few years.
How do you balance writing from your own experiences versus immersing yourself in the emotions of others when crafting your songs?
I’m usually not entirely comfortable writing from a purely autobiographical standpoint… there are some songs that I’ve recorded that fit that bill, but more often than not, I build a story based on my experiences and emotions. So even if I’m writing about someone else, there’s always a kernel of something that I know in there. I always love it when someone tells me that one of my songs is “their story” because it’s my story, too, and I love that art can connect us like that.
Your plain-talk poetry connects on a guttural level in tracks like “Big Year” and “Forget Me Not Blue.” Could you walk us through your songwriting process for these tracks?
They were very different… “Big Year” is one that I worked on for several years after writing down the first couple of lines. It was an idea that needed more information to come to fruition. “Forget Me Not Blue” was a one-sitting kind of song, where I sat down with my guitar, and it just tumbled out.
Can you describe a moment or story behind one of the songs that particularly resonates with you?
“The Muse of Time” is a song that I wrote while sitting on my kitchen floor. I rented the same house in West Asheville from 2007 until 2019, and many evenings (and some mornings) would find me sitting on the kitchen floor there with a bottle of wine and my guitar. I don’t know why; it was just someplace I liked to be. We moved into the house I now share with my husband and two children about three weeks before my daughter was born, and I had a very hard time acclimating to a new setting and being a mother all at once. But several months in, I found myself in a moment of nap time quiet, and I sat down on my new kitchen floor with my guitar, and it helped me to feel a little more like my old self. And that’s what I wrote.
This album was recorded and produced by Scott McMicken of Dr. Dog and Greg Cartwright of Reigning Sound. How did this collaboration come about, and what was it like working with them?
My husband, Evan Martin, has known Scott and the other guys in Dr Dog for a long time through touring with another band he plays in, Floating Action. Scott and Greg have a new project called The Hypos and they called Evan to play drums. I was looking to change things up for the next Honeycutters album, and after making the Hypos record at Scott’s, Evan suggested I talk to those guys about working together. It was a beautifully simple process — we all got together at Scott’s and played the songs and ate burritos, and called it an album.
How did Scott and Greg’s production influence the sound and direction of The Ones That Stay?
Both Greg and Scott come from more of an Indie Rock background in their own music. I would say that both of them also have a much broader musical vocabulary than I have — Greg especially is a huge vinyl collector and can reference a lot of artists I’ve never even heard of. Scott has a ton of cool old gear that we experimented with. I think that, in general, the atmosphere that they created was just really expansive. Lots of fresh ideas and perspectives and, at the same time, the freedom to just do what we do without pressure or pretense. To me, this album sounds more like The Honeycutters than any of our others; it’s like those guys presented us with a wider space in which to be ourselves.
Americana UK described your first single, “Pocket Song,” as a thoughtful and reflective country-tinged roots rock song. How would you describe the overall musical style of this album?
Let’s go with country-tinged roots rock 🙃
Were there any specific artists or genres that influenced the sound of this record?
Too many to name, maybe. But one thing that we talked about a lot is how artists used to record this way, live and without the ability to go in and fix and overdub everything, and a lot of those older recordings from the 60s and 70s have the best feel and the best groove, even if the tempo shifts or a note goes sour here or there. So, more than any one artist or genre, I’d say there was a philosophy.
This album was a lot of fun because we did some instrument swapping, and I think that variety rounds the songs out.
Can you talk about the contributions of your band members — Matt Smith, Rick Cooper, Evan Martin, and Kevin Williams — in shaping the sound of The Ones That Stay?
I think that everyone in this band has a really strong voice. I’m always amazed at how a song grows and changes when I start playing it with them… I very rarely have specific directions when I bring a song to them. Sometimes, I want them to come in at a certain place, but generally speaking, everyone just plays what they hear, and we go from there. This album was a lot of fun because we did some instrument swapping, and I think that variety rounds the songs out.
How do the dynamics within the band enhance your creative process?
One of the reasons that I love having a band that has been together as long as ours is that I feel really safe with them. They’re family. I trust them with my song babies. And I think that allows me to be more creative.
Your lyrics often carry a deep well of sentiment. How do you approach capturing and conveying such profound emotions in your storytelling?
I think songwriting is generally an emotional experience for me. I have tried to write light-hearted songs, but they usually don’t get finished. I guess I only write when I’m reflecting on profound emotions.
Are there any particular lyrics on this album that hold special significance to you?
There are a lot, but I’ve been thinking about the line that the title comes from, which is in the song “Mirage.” The entire line is, “It’s such a windy world out there, and everybody keeps on blowing away; I try to tell myself that I don’t care, but I learn to love the ones that stay.” I wrote that song six or seven years ago, and I think that at the time, I meant it as commentary on how we get whittled down by the world and have to keep accepting less than what we pay for. Now, when I sing it, I think it speaks more to the heart’s resilience, that we keep on loving, and that love grows and changes throughout our lifetime in spite of loss.
What do you hope listeners take away from The Ones That Stay?
This may be a vain and foolish hope in the world of singles and streaming, but I hope that the listener will take time to sit down and digest the album as a whole, from start to finish. And I hope that, at least for that relatively short period of time, they will think more about what makes us alike as humans than the things that keep us separate.
Have you had any memorable experiences or feedback from fans regarding the new songs so far?
People have been really sweet and generous so far.
After the album release on August 9th, what are your plans for promoting The Ones That Stay? Any upcoming tours or special performances?
I am doing a UK tour without my band, just me and Evan and our friend Hannah Kaminer. That’s late August. We have some regional dates in the early Fall… more tour plans to be announced!
Looking ahead, do you have any new projects or musical directions you’re excited to explore?
Always lots of ideas, but none close enough to fruition to talk about quite yet.
This is your seventh full-length studio album. How do you feel you’ve grown as an artist and songwriter since your debut?
I think I’m a lot more comfortable with myself as an artist and a songwriter. I’m not trying to be anything other than myself these days, which is a lot easier. I wish I had caught onto that in my 20s.
If you could give advice to your younger self just starting out in music, what would it be?
If you don’t believe in what you’re doing, then even if you are wildly successful, you’ll never be comfortable.
The Ones That Stay Tracklist:
- Mirage
- Clean Slate
- Window Pane
- Forever
- Big Year
- Forget Me Not Blue
- The Lesson
- On the Street Where You Live
- Pocket Song
- Saint Angela
- The Muse of Time
- Empty Little Room
