Big Little Lions Wrap Up Their Nashville Sessions with “Static” (premiere)

Over the past month or so, Big Little Lions have been running an online residency with PopMatters. Sharing four live performances recorded at Mount Monkeymore Studios, the Americana duo have now reached their final Nashville Session. It comes in the form of “Static”, a song defined by its sprightly, earworm melodies and powerful dynamics, paying off in the form of a grand crescendo. As always, Big Little Lions’ Helen Austin and Paul Otten perform wonderfully in a live studio setting, playing off of one another as a collective, energetic tour de force.

On “Static”, Otten tells PopMatters, “I started this song before Helen ever heard it. I pretty much finished up all the music production and had the vocal melody before I sent it to her. The lyrics came on the heels of a trip my wife and I made to Helen’s, where we binge-watched the first season of Stranger Things. Helen was so inspired that she based the entirety of the lyrics on it. It’s playful and quirky, with a childlike quality, which made it a perfect fit for the lyrical theme. It also has elements of drama, not unlike the show. We are very pleased with this one!!”

On performing “Static” at Mount Monkeymore, Austin says, “Performing ‘Static’ was a favorite for me because it took a while to come together live, due to there being two of us making all the sounds. So when it sounded as good as I hoped it would, it was all the more satisfying. And it’s one of my favorite songs of ours.”

Otten concurs, saying, “I echo Helen’s sentiment about performing ‘Static’. I’d have to say that all of the songs are a fun challenge for me to perform, but ‘Static’ was a song that I really scratched my head on, wondering just how I was going to pull it off. It’s been very satisfying to play this one.”

“Static” is from off of Big Little Lions’ newest studio album, Alive and Well. It is out now.