"Right Back to It" by Waxahatchee

Just discovered this song, and I'm obsessed. The words are poetic, the look at the ups and downs of long-term love are refreshingly honest in contrast with the standard snapshots of new, superficial flirtations or unrequited love that are the focus of most tunes. The melody is longing and hopeful all at once.

The video is beautiful--it starts with the lead singer alone, standing in later afternoon sun in front of a backdrop of a small marshy river in the south (reminds me of Savannah) with branches of trees hanging limply along the shores, creating a semi-covered path--and even the story behind it is fascinating. According to Wikipedia, the songwriter had been envisioning this setting for an entire decade. My husband, who has some experience in film-making, was immediately caught by the complexity that would have been involved in capturing it. And everything about it is gorgeous. Even the way the two singers are presented without the fuss of popstar exteriors.

The pale face of Crutchfield, the female lead, appears free of heavy cosmetics, and she's drowning in an oversized button down shirt that she possibly stole from her husband's drawer, indicating she came here comfortable as herself. Her movements are just right as she sings. She is understated--a moment of relief in a culture of overly-dramatic, loud power ballads. Her micro-expressions tease some hidden idea behind her quiet smile.

We're fully a minute in to the lovely experience when suddenly there’s a second character: a figure seated in the pontoon’s driver’s seat. As the chorus starts, a male voice weaves in a perfect harmony. At first he’s blurry in the background, which only heightens the tension. We’re dying to know who this other character is who just pushed an already intriguing melody into epic territory. And when the shot slowly sharpens to reveal MJ Lenderman — big eyes sparkling with dark circles underneath, long, greasy curls, a hand hanging gently, and a slight underbite and a gap between his teeth that testify to a soul that doesn't need to please the world. His eyes gave off in the distance with an expression that reveals nothing except quiet, peaceful observation—it is absolutely rewarding.

We've all met him--that quiet guy in a second-hand t-shirt, so worn that the graphics were peeling off. He sat in the back of class, a mystery, then twice a semester, everyone would hold their breath to hear him actually speak. We love him right away. He's somewhere between gorgeous deep soul—a cousin of Adrien Grenier—and simple hillbilly. My husband’s first reaction: “Wow. Is this the actual singer? He looks like maybe they found him in the backwoods on the way to the shoot.” It’s miraculously perfect casting.

I found I couldn't take my eyes off the pair. My ten-year-old cast them as an elf and a hobbit in a Tolkien story. My husband felt like they didn't fit with the lush natural beauty of the surrounding scene. But I thought their unpolished appearances just added to the gorgeousness, because it found beauty in letting things be what they really are. Not needing to make them fit into cultural standards.

And it gets better, still. It's a love song, and the only two people shown are not cast as lovers. There is no touching, no longful gazing. I don't think they're even ever facing one another. But we don't care. It works. The director somehow totally still captured the story of the song without any of that. (Dear Hollywood, I dare you to achieve the same thing.)

After being completely mesmerized by this song, I checked out a few others by each artist, and found that while they're both good, their individual styles both seemed slightly outside of my usual preferences. But together, it was perfect. She soared, and he held her steady with his grounding sound. Stevie Nicks balanced by the Counting Crows.

May we see more of this collaboration in the future!