The Sweet Lillies confirmed a new album, Equality, due out on June 3 via Americana Vibes. The Colorado string band also shared the lead single, “Words.”
The Sweet Lillies — bassist Julie Gussaroff, violist Becca Bisque, guitarist Dustin Rohleder and drummer/percussionist Jones Maynard — recorded Equality at Mighty Fine Productions in their hometown of Denver. The Infamous Stringdusters’ Chris Pandolfi handled production duties and also plays banjo on the record. Pandolfi detailed Equality:
“Every band that makes meaningful music over a long career will go through concentrated moments of evolution where most aspects of their sound and vision take a huge leap forward, seemingly in a moment’s time. Equality, the excellent new album from the Lillies, is a coming of age for this up-and-coming band. From hip-hop-inspired writing to an expansive new sound featuring guest Jason Hann from The String Cheese Incident on drums, this record makes a powerful statement that will surely catch the attention of new ears. Becca, Julie and Dustin all brought their A-game, laying down emotive, compelling live tracks in the studio, exceeding expectations at every turn. It was an honor to produce Equality and I can’t wait to see where it takes The Sweet Lillies.”
Along with the guest spot from Hann, his SCI bandmate keyboardist Kyle Hollingsworth also appears on Equality. The Sweet Lillies previewed the record with the single, “Words.”
“The song ‘Words’ is about overcoming uncertainty and self-doubt,” songwriter Becca Bisque explained. “In this song, I question the use of language and its implications. Asking when it is best to speak up and when it is best to be an observer, what is the result of those choices? Self-exploration and self-discovery as it relates to our words is the nature of this piece.”
Watch the in-studio music video for “Words” below:
