By Briana Harris
On After Tale, singer-songwriter Eva Rose King acts as a masterful narrator recalling and reclaiming her own story of loss, loneliness, and connection. It’s a quiet yet powerful listen that’s perfect for your own introspection, and a great companion album for a long walk in the woods.
King worked in tandem with producer Courtney Hartman – a powerhouse collaborator in the indie folk world – to bring this collection of songs to fruition. “I wanted a female producer who could really honor the softness and vulnerability of these songs,” said Eva. “I reached out to [Courtney] and showed her what I thought would be my album. She agreed to work with me but sent me home with an assignment: write 20 more songs.” Most of After Tale is the result of these newer songs workshopped with Hartman.
The album was recorded at Hive Studio in Eau Claire, WI, where Hartman arranged a prolific lineup of session musicians from the region’s scene: Ben Lester (pedal steel, piano, keys), Sean Carey (drums, piano), Jeremy Boettcher (upright and electric bass), and Hartman herself on guitar. “The musicians had a wonderful intuition for how each song should feel,” recalls Eva. “The fact that each song was recorded in a matter of just a few hours added a freshness that you can hear in the recordings.”
The sonic universe feels controlled but alive; there’s an organic quality that breathes throughout the record. The performers showcase a restraint that puts King’s lyrics in the spotlight. Her rich alto-register vocals deliver the songs’ confessional qualities without ever tipping into the saccharine. King’s music could be compared to other celebrated modern songwriters in the folk scene – Waxahatchee, Gregory Alan Isakov – but the soulful character in her voice is a unique trademark inviting repeat listens.
After Tale is the songwriter’s reflection on a journey to find and create connection. Eva recalls, “Between the ages of 18 and 23, I lived in five states and four different counties, barely staying longer than 6 months in any location. While this time in my life was fun and exciting in the moment, I ultimately realized that I had severed my connection to my friends and family, especially my sister. In these songs, I grapple with this lifestyle and wonder if it was worth it.” The first half of the album mourns the costs of this uprooting; the second half finds King changing the narrative and building a new home. “At the time in my life, I was making a new home for myself in Colorado and falling in love with the person who I am excited to soon marry,” says Eva. “I end the album on a lullaby, ‘Sweet Dreams,’ where I talk about the joy of creating a new home with and within a loved one.”
Wherever listeners may be on their own journey of leaving or returning home, After Tale is a deep well with the potential to reflect some of our most vulnerable human experiences.
