The Austin-based duo, Hilary Kaufmann and Robert Watts of These Fine Moments, is something of harmonic bliss. Their upcoming album Season 10, due out February 26, is a decade-long culmination of the time Kaufmann and Watts have spent writing, recording and performing together.
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With Season 10 being the fifth studio album they’ve released together, it’s not hard to recognize the effortless musical connection which Kaufmann and Watts have cultivated.
On their current single, “Beneath the Storm,” the first track off their upcoming album, their voices interweave with each other so smoothly it’s evident that this ease can only be achieved after years of working together.
In the same way, their songwriting seems to match their all-encompassing, sweeping style of music. With folk-rock undertones, the two sing There’s a storm beneath the beauty you can feel / And you wanted to see what the wind and rain reveal. Lyrically, their songs are like poetry set to music.
Watts explains that this song in particular was a blend of personal experience with fictional storytelling, in which two characters unexpectedly discover revelations in their relationship and are challenged to shift their perspective.
“We took a trip to Big Bend a few years ago, and Hilary, who had never been to West Texas, found it to be a bleak contrast to the lush green mountains of upstate New York where she grew up,” Watts shares. “The characters in the song wander around lost in the desolate landscape, and begin to question their commitment to each other. But as the journey goes on, they eventually see the beauty revealed by the weathering.”
The duo’s ability to take an isolated experience and turn it into a moving piece of music, which can be applicable to an array of experiences, speaks to their prowess as songwriters.
Nevertheless, they weren’t alone on the creation of Season 10 or “Beneath the Storm,” working alongside industry veterans producer Mark Hallman (Ani DiFranco, Carole King) and talented multi-instrumentalist Ken Stringfellow (The Posies, REM, Big Star).
With such talented people by their side, Season 10 is sure to be a musical feat.
Check out “Beneath the Storm” below or on digital platforms now.
Season 10 by These Fine Moments
