a track about growing up together, our new single “young” is out today.
the song began a few years ago on the foggy northern california coast, after emma moved to the town of eureka. life had slowed down, and the writing process turned inward - to what it means to grow up and to truly show up: for loved ones, community, and yourself.
the track took shape over several seasons of life: written while contemplating parenthood, recorded while pregnant, and arriving now after what was once an abstract idea is a toddler who can dance and talk.
“young” lives in the moment when a relationship shifts from possibility into responsibility - when you start asking each other (and yourself) the good, hard questions.
it’s about boundaries, shared weight, connection, and trying to carry the openness and joy we felt together “when we were young” into a life that keeps getting bigger and messier.
if any of that resonates with you, go have a listen wherever you find your music. link in bio.
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guitar, bass and vocals by emma oppen @emmaoriginally
shakers and cabasa by keith brower brown @solarfluxed
drums and production by ian quirk @goldenstubble
snaps and claves by davin sc payne @wild_mane_dave
rhodes and guitar by alex siegel @alexsiegelmusic
mixed by daniel schlett @danieljschlett
mastered by bijan sharifi @bijanmakesnoyz
i welcomed my first kid to the world this month. i dreamed for years of playing music for them. the first show, though, i thought she’d only have patience for maybe one song. instead, she listened w wide peaceful eyes for six tunes in a row. setlist below. -keith
jia’s first concert:
os novos baianos - “acabou chorare”
tom jobim - “águas de março”
trails and ways - “border crosser”
lô borges - “o girassol da cor do seu cabelo”
Rolling Stones - “wild horses”
trails and ways - “next of kin” (unreleased single)
The first new single in nine years from Trails and Ways, “Patiently” is a lushly absorbing success — melding imagery of water and islands in capturing the process of navigating personal strife, specifically the striving for populated land following island-set social isolation.
The “middle of ocean, there’s still a closest shore” hopefulness melds with “do you feel like an island sometimes?” relatability, fused within serene acoustic strums and twinkling twangs. Caressing, wordless vocal harmonies complement the title-bearing vocal sequence, enticing replays throughout. A vibrant, psych-touched guitar line caps it off with sating impact. “Patiently” is a fantastic return from Trails and Ways, who first caught our ears way back in 2012 with the track “Tereza.”
a dancefloor remix from Costa Rica of our song “Patiently” is out today, along with an aquatic lyric video on YouTube.
we first heard Barzo when his gorgeous remix of @karenylosremedios “Plexo Lunar” pulsed on KALX radio over the breakfast table. here was a rare remixer with a sense for uncanny percussion and breath in the beat. we wrote Barzo about trying a remix for us; he got back in moments.
a few weeks later, we heard a first draft; still unmistakably “Patiently”, but with Emma’s vocals warped into a hypnotic spell, a new bassline as french-house hooky as Daft Punk, a beat fit to spin you around under central american skies. stick around for sexy sax.
gracias @Barzotico ! across borders, across oceans, music gets richer with collaboration – that can’t be stopped.
here’s a bike cruise music video for our new song “patiently”. filmed in one take, golden hour, from the oakland street to keith’s home studio where some of our new songs were tracked.
we’ve always tracked our music in studios in our houses, and our new music is no exception. we want to make music from the fabric of everyday life, the little moments of beauty and the slower dramas of growing up, work and care.
we tracked other parts of songs at homes in san jose and the beachside mill town of samoa, california. in each spot, our homes and lives are a part of an ecosystem. this video shows them connected through the thread of a song, with some house chores and sunlit laughs on the way.
our first new song in 9 years is out today. a groove lost and found at sea.
“patiently” is about making peace, learning spanish, and swimming open water. it’s about the release of extending a hand, out of the throes of social isolation – a shore is in sight.
for years after we paused our band and tours, we moved hours apart. we kept writing solo songs but each struggled to finish them. we were pulled back to trails and ways.
when we started playing together again, building out a little studio in ian’s backyard, “patiently” flowed together fast. keith’s open chords on nylon guitar, ian’s driving beat on live drums, the return of our deep bass and harmony master emma.
we hope you’ll bump “patiently” to dance in your kitchen, put it on for your surf crew and coworkers, and send it to pen pals in distant lands. we’re back, with more to come.
with contributions from:
@alexsiegelmusic@udayan00
streaming link in bio
for all you dear trails and ways hikers, here is our recent inspo starter pack. hit (+) to add it to yr library, and we’ll keep new jams flowin in to you
we’re a band again. new music: very soon :)
we rode high in a 2010s indie pop wave, all the way to a last show in mexico city. we took a long breather, moved to far corners of northern california, swam wild water, cared for family, learned and worked for the planet, lived. but we missed this music, and missed all of you who love it.
we were far apart but gradually, deeply, we all wanted back in this groove and harmony of trails and ways. music for kitchen dancing and tender feeling. music like the connection we wanted with nature, and found only together.
best of all, our original bassist and harmony master Emma is back. we surfed to celebrate
#indiepop
