The Civil Wars announced a hiatus last November due to “internal discord and irreconcilable differences of ambition,” but that hasn’t stopped the duo from releasing a new album.
Today (June 11), the Nashville indie folk act revealed “The One That Got Away,” the first song from the band’s eponymous sophomore release, which drops Aug. 6.
It’s possible the “internal discord” that caused the group’s hiatus has spilled over into the album, if the new song is to be believed. Though it features the duo’s usual folk and country instrumentation, as well as the intertwining vocals of John Paul White and Joy Williams, there’s added drama, with louder, ominous guitars and pounding drums.
“I wish you were the one that got away,” the duo sings, a line that perhaps describes their musical relationship; though the band remains on hiatus, a new album emerged from the wreckage nonetheless.
“The Civil Wars” is the follow-up to the Grammy-nominated “Barton Hollow,” which hit stores in February 2011.