On March 3rd, beloved trombonist Natalie Cressman will release a brand new solo EP. Titled The Traces EP, Cressman’s album is an emotional exploration through a fusion of electronic and traditional instrumentation techniques. Always the thoughtful and intricate composer, Cressman’s expressive solo career comes through in waves on The Traces EP, and provides a sharp contrast for those who might only know her as a member of the Trey Anastasio Band.
A perfect example of the album’s sound comes on “Where We Started,” Natalie Cressman’s new single. She tells us more about the song’s origin:
“Writing this song was very interesting because the first seed of ‘Where We Started’ came to me in the middle of the night. Sometimes I wake up from a dream with a melody in my head, or come up with lyrics when I’m trying to fall asleep. The pre-chorus in this song was one of those instances where I woke up with the sound in my head from a dream and made a quick groggy voice memo on my iPhone and went back to sleep. It was over a month before I found the memo and wrote the rest of the song around it.
The majority of subject matter for the EP is centered around the various musings that come at the end of a relationship – the different emotions that bubble up unexpectedly when attempting to move on. This song is basically about regret, and thus, probably the saddest one on the album. It talks about how the end of the relationship hardly resembles the “open-heartedness” that the couple began with. My producer Ivan Jackson definitely shaped the sound a and changed up the groove to make it a bit heavier and yet ethereal at the same time. I love how he left the bridge so delicate though: it makes for a great and surprising contrast.”
We’re honored to premiere this new wonderful track from Natalie Cressman’s new release. Stream “Where We Started” from The Traces EP, below.
New York fans can celebrate Cressman’s new album release at American Beauty on Friday, March 24th, as she’ll be hosting an album release party in honor of The Traces EP . Find more information here, and you can catch all of her updates on the official Natalie Cressman website.