Amythyst Kiah with Emily Hines

Produced by Butch Walker (Taylor Swift, Green Day, Weezer) and recorded at his Nashville studio, Amythyst Kiah’s new album Still + Bright explores the vast expanse of her inner world: her deep-rooted affinity for Eastern philosophies and spiritual traditions, a near-mystical connection with the natural world, the life lessons learned in her formative years as a self-described “anime-nerd mall goth.” In dreaming up the backdrop to her revelatory storytelling, Kiah and Walker arrived at a darkly cinematic and exhilarating twist on the rootsy alt-rock of her 2021 breakthrough album Wary + Strange —an LP that landed on Rolling Stone’s list of the 25 Best Country and Americana Albums of 2021 and drew acclaim from major outlets like Pitchfork. With its sonic palette encompassing everything from fuzzed-out guitars and industrial-leaning beats to gilded pedal steel and Kiah’s exquisitely graceful banjo work, Still + Bright fully affirms her as an artist of both daring originality and uncompromising depth. “One of Americana’s great up-and-coming secrets.” — Rolling Stone “She really is important in reminding people that there is a great tradition of African-American, old-time musicians. I love that she sings in this really rich low vocal range, just straight from the chest, resonant.” — NPR “Her razor-sharp guitar picking alone guarantees her a place among masters, but it’s her deep-hued voice that can change on a dime from brushed steel to melted toffee that commands attention.” — The New York Times Raised on a small farm where the Midwest meets the South, Emily Hines crafts earnest indie rockwith a twangy, unruly air. These Days, Emily’s first album for Keeled Scales and her initial offering toa wider world, features nine songs thoughtfully recorded to cassette from a tiny house in South Nashville. These Days traces Emily’s progression as a twenty-something seeking love and meaning in late-stage capitalism. The songs play like a stack of Polaroids on the coffee table, candid and nostalgic. Emily wrote her first songs with her brother at the tender age of 7 as a welcome home present to their sick mother. That initial experience instilled a passion for the honesty, compassion, and transformation that songwriting can offer. After writing most of the album during an interlude of organic farming in Ohio and Kentucky, Emily quickly began playing shows around Nashville, connecting with a warm collective of like-minded musicians that eventually led her to her producer and partner, Henry Park. This quiet blossoming of community was powerful and formative, informing her writing process and eventually connecting her to her band – a rotating cast of generously talented musicians including Liv Greene, Holden Bitner, and John-Ruben Medina. Drawn particularly to improvisation and collaboration, Hines andher band shaped the songs over countless gigs and rehearsals.