Act II of Margo Price’s Strays II is here.
While the full installment of the multi-part Strays II will be available everywhere on October 13th, Margo Price has released one act at a time, giving fans a taste of what is in store for the expansion of her critically-acclaimed Strays album, released earlier this year.
Act I: Topanga Canyon, was an incredible preview, followed by an equally impressive Act II: Mind Travel.
Today’s three tracks continue the deep dive into the transformative six-day mushroom trip Price and her husband had last year. The psychedelic sound curated in Strays is carried through the album’s follow-up, pushing the boundaries lyrically through rustic yet whimsical sounds, and melodies that move the soul.
The lead track off Act II: Mind Travel, “Mind Travel,” has a bluesy soulful melody with lyrics that will leave you perplexed, but in a way that makes you want to dig deeper for what the hidden meanings are.
“‘Mind Travel’ is one of the more lyrically strange songs I’ve written. Jeremy and I wrote it in South Carolina.
It’s pretty much beat poetry on drugs with a back beat… it was influenced by having an out of body experience on psilocybin.”
Margo Price noted about writing the complex lyrics of the track.
She continues:
“We both had some pretty incredible breakthroughs about accepting death and just reckoning with how fast it’s all going. It’s okay to be reflective and remember the past as long as you don’t get stuck back there.
This part of the trip is where you learn to be satisfied with the present.”
The second track, “Black Wolf Blues,” is filled with gentle melodies that capture listeners from the start. The lyrics tell a delicate story of love and longing, but the haunting of something beyond a couple’s bubble attempting to destroy their happiness.
“‘Black Wolf Blues’ in particular, Jeremy started writing the words from my exact point of view – he found myself reflecting on my ancestors, my grandparents (Paul & Mary Price), and their love and how it grew despite the drought and the loss of their farm.
I wrote the chords and the melody and helped finish the verses and chorus. Even though it has a sweetness and a nostalgic way about it, there is a looming darkness – the wolf who’s been watching and weaving his way like a stray throughout the entire album.
Look for him. It’s like an invisible plague hanging in the air, it’s the man in the suit and tie who’s lying to you through his straight, white teeth. He hides in shadows.”
The song seems light and airy until you dive into the lyrics, seeing those hints of darkness looming over a love eutopia the couple has created.
In the final track of the second act, Price partners with the legendary Mike Campbell, guitarist from Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. Margo Price concurrently released the final episode of her docuseries from the studio sessions in Topanga Canyon, highlighting their collaboration on the track “Unoriginal Sin.”
In the episode, you hear Campbell’s words of wisdom and the behind-the-scenes creation of the classic rock-inspired song.
Price is a visionary in the music space, not afraid to talk about what inspires her music or sing about topics that may be deemed as unconventional for the Americana genre. But, with that, you get outstanding, fully rounded projects that highlight her talented songwriting, hypnotizing vocals and melodies, creating a listening experience unlike others.
I am highly anticipating what Act III holds, rounding out Strays II.
“Unoriginal Sin”
