Track Premiere: Bogues – “South for the Summer”
Posted: by The Editor
Bogues is a transcendental project with a narrative that can’t stop crushing itself under the figurative weight. Every track that A.J. Gruenewald crafts hurts in the right way, and his newest song, “South for the Summer,” hits harder than ever in the softest of spots.
The second single off of “Paint All The Walls The Same” (the third volume of the Nashville-based songwriter’s sad tale of staying the course) is another stellar example of Bogues’s consistent tone of voice and guitar. The longing in Gruenewald’s voice is practically palpable, and the music video’s visuals anchor that voice to the pain of loss and repentance. Two coffee mugs, two pairs of shoes, two cans of paint; all become one lonely echo of a better time as the composition erupts into something more layered and pure than any previous Bogues song. Gruenewald has stepped up to bat alone, once again, but each subsequent time, he hits higher and higher over the foundation of fantastic songwriting he’s already established.
Bogues, the solo project of A.J. Gruenewald, is known for his entrancing, honest lyricism paired with consistent, ethereal guitar tones, and for his great mustache. Self-releasing his debut EP, “Mulligan,” in 2016, followed by 2018’s “Life, Slowly,” Bogues exhibits the true blood of doing it yourself. With a tenacious passion for his craft, Gruenewald has toured across the country, playing brutally emotional solo gigs and sharing a beautiful, cohesive narrative along the way. Set to release his third EP, Paint All The Walls The Same on 11/1, Bogues is a literary force to be reckoned with.
In regard to “South for the Summer,” Gruenewald shared, “South For The Summer is a song about wanting this familiar time in your life back while understanding that you weren’t your best during it. Most of the record is about familiarity and guilt, but this song does it specifically through the lens of death. Every time there’s a brief moment of what feels like recovery, there’s this thought that getting the rest of the way there will be a result of this thing or this person or this place that can never come back. It’s naive, and that thought ends up being both the thing that keeps you going and the thing that’s holding you back. You feel bad that it’s limiting you like that, but the thought feels comfortable. The song confronts that, and it’s still a pity party, but there’s progress in that confrontation alone.”
You can preorder “Paint All The Walls The Same” here, and make sure you check out Bogues on tour this November/December if you’re in the area.
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Luciano Ferrara | @LucianoRFerrara
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