Odetta Hartman is readying her first album in two years, Old Rockhounds Never Die is the follow-up to her excellent 2015 full-length breakout 222. After that release smashed expectations for folk by combining traditional westerns sounds with plenty of modern production — often courtesy of Hartman’s partner Jack Inslee — she’s doubled down on more psych-folk for her follow-up.
Today we’re debuting the latest example of that, “Sweet Teeth,” which follows up the introductory track off Old Rockhounds Never Die, a frenetic banjo murder ballad called “Misery.”
Though “Misery” was an epic introduction to Hartman’s new album, premiering over at NPR and picking up piquing plenty of interest in her new record, “Sweet Teeth” might be even more emblematic of what she does best. Under just three minutes, Hartman tells a story that’s both chilling and self-aggrandizing, building off country myth and legend yarn spinning with her own distinct twist.
That frenetic banjo is present here, again, and so is the spacey, fragmented production and vocal effects that have become her signature style. The other element that has become a Hartman hallmark is sampling sounds from the real world and incorporating them into the track itself, and some of that comes into play at the very end of the song here. Listen above and look for her new album out this August.
Old Rockhounds Never Die will be out 8/10 via Northern Spy and Memphis Industries. Pre-order it here.
