CAROLINE SAFRAN

Why Bonnie Take Us to a Distant Planet on New Single “Three Big Moons”

Inspired, in part, by a sci-fi novel

Why Bonnie, the New York-based project of Blair Howerton, unveil a new single/video  “Three Big Moons” from their new album, Wish on the Bone, which came out August 30th via Fire Talk.

Set on a distant planet inspired, in part, by a sci-fi novel, the gorgeous and aching track is “about how isolation can be equal parts comforting and lonely,” Howerton explains. “They pinned a note to my collar/ It said ‘we couldn’t save her’/ And dropped down the American Flag/ Like it was a favor,” Howerton sings. When she mentions Houston, it’s not only to reference her childhood home, but also NASA. “Houston, we have a problem/ So many that I can’t, I just can’t solve them.”

When Why Bonnie recorded their debut 90 in November, they set out to make a country album, aligning their respective technical instincts with the genre trappings. With Wish on the Bone, Howerton had no interest in adhering to genre standards. Howerton, Chance Williams, and Josh Malett fleshed out these songs with help from Jonathan Schenke, who co-produced alongside Howerton. As illustrated in “Dotted Line,” “Fake Out,” and “Rhyme or Reason,” “[Wish on the Bone trades] their cozy, minimalist twang in for a new wardrobe of electronica, kiss-off distortion, guitar-pop catchiness and bold, uncategorical post-rock” (Paste).

Although Wish on the Bone is untethered from the particulars of landscape or genre, its fixation on what it might look like to lead an authentic life grounds the record in place. “I’ve changed since [90 in November], and I trust that I’ll probably continue to change,” Howerton says. Curiously, that sense of personhood made Howerton trust herself more, both in personal relationships and in the studio. Though Howerton may change, her convictions are steadfast, as is her sense of moral responsibility. With Wish on the Bone, Howerton is wide-eyed and waiting, reminding herself, even on the worst days, that despair is not inevitable.

What do you feel about “Three Big Moons” from Why Bonnie?

Damaged City Festival 2019 | Photos | LIVING LIFE FEARLESS

CULTURE (counter, pop, and otherwise) and the people who shape it.

Damaged City Festival 2019 | Photos | LIVING LIFE FEARLESS

My Cart Close (×)

Your cart is empty
Browse Shop

Subscribe

Don't miss out on weekly new content and exclusive deals