Lowland Hum are a folk duo from North Carolina that are comprised of husband-wife duo, Daniel and Lauren Goans. Succinctly explaining the dynamics of working with a significant other during a Tiny Desk concert last year, Daniel said, “The fear was that either one of us would be diminished, but we found it really augmenting to write together”. Ultimately the risk to forge a creative partnership from a relationship paid off, and what the duo has that is hard for many other groups to replicate authentically is intimacy.

That is why the most significant moments of the music video for “Odell” occurs in the very beginning when Lauren sings, “I bathe in light and watch the steam whispering”, after which we see several shots of steam emanating from a drawn bath, a kettle, and a tea cup. This is the perfect visual metaphor for Lowland Hum’s atmospheric brand of emotionally intelligent folk. You can sense tenderness in the liminal space between the performers, as Daniel’s harmonies kick in to warm the corners of the track.

Oddly enough, “Odell” is actually a song penned about the broken relationships suffered by the mother of French painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. So while the viewer can plainly see the plaintive existence of an isolated woman in the visuals, the listener might actually catch the emotional propinquity that defines Lowland Hum. A bizarre dichotomy that makes for a very interesting track.

You can preorder their self-titled sophomore album (out April 14) here, which will get you immediate downloads of this track and another titled, “Olivia”. Also, be sure to catch them on their current tour!