John R. Miller…man, what a songwriter.
In his newest single, “Ditcher,” he dives deep into addressing the feeling of being avoidant and just wanting to keep to yourself.
The bluesy slow-moving melody captures the words as they roll off his tongue. The single will appear on his forthcoming album Heat Comes Down, slated to drop on October 6th with Rounder Records.
When Miller announced the album release, he noted that the tracks on the album will focus on how different forms of anxiety will affect day-to-day life, and “Ditcher” captures retracting from society perfectly.
“For me, this album is largely about anxiety in many forms: the things that cause it, what it causes in turn, and the moments of clarity in between.
Listening back to it now, most of the songs seem like they’re trying to answer the questions I’ve been asking myself.”
While the track might be a letter to himself, fans will find it more than relatable.
“’Ditcher’ wrote itself after I’d been awake for about 36 hours.”
Miller said, opening up about the curation of the single to BrooklynVegan.
“I had been in a fever, recording and working on songs for several days in the basement of the house I used to live in, in Madison, TN, and I started playing a melody that knocked me in the head.
The words came out in about ten minutes, and I made a fully-formed demo of it right away, which has maybe only happened to me a handful of times.
I don’t know where it came from, but I liked it enough that it became one of my favorites on the record, as well as the source of the album’s title.”
In celebration of the single’s release, he dropped a studio session recorded at Nashville’s Sound Emporium.
The rustic feel of the studio matches the mildly melancholy lyrics, adding the perfect visuals for the track.
After coming off of his 2021 album Depreciated (a Whiskey Riff Top 10 Album of 2021), Heat Comes Down has some shoes to fill.
The tracks released thus far teasing what is to come for the rest of the album looks more than promising to fill those. I am looking forward to hearing more come October 6th.
If you are looking at catching Miller live, he is currently on an extensive tour along with making appearances at events like Healing Appalachia.
