Stream: Parker Ainsworth, ‘The Way That It Was’

Kevin Bronson on September 22nd, 2020

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Austin-bred, L.A.-based folk-rocker Parker Ainsworth whittles society’s existential crisis down to this: We are torn between looking back and looking forward.

“I’ve been trying so hard to believe what may come / We’ve been reaching so far the way that it was,” he sings on his new single “The Way That It Was,” a tune that conceptually serves as an addendum to the potent commentary of 2018’s “American Miracle.” (If only that song would have been embraced by what passes for country radio.)

“I find my mind often dancing between the future and the past like a squirrel between two trees in spring,” Ainsworth says. “It’s a slippery slope entertaining any other time than now. Leaning too far forward, the anxiety comes on strong. Leaning too far back, and the gravity of nostalgia takes hold. I suppose the rhythm of the moment is the only place to move freely, unfettered by what may be or what was.”

“The Way That It Was” is the first single from an album Ainsworth has in the works. He says he was inspired to tackle a full-length after the success of “Running for So Long (House a Home),” a song that found a home in the 2019 film “The Peanut Butter Falcon.”

On the new single, co-written by Rob Mayes, he’s backed by guitarist Dylan Day, bassist Jonathan Flaugher, vocalist Jessie Payo and drummer Tamir Barzilay. Tommy King (who contributes piano) produced, along with Todd Stopera.

Recommended if you like open-road vibes, à la Tom Petty, and food for thought.

||| Stream: “The Way That It Was”