song premiere: "Elizabeth" - Long Neck
photo: Lucie Murphy
On "Elizabeth", Long Neck puts to song the ideals of searching for a place to belong, and only realizing later that during the process of searching, where you started is exactly where you were meant to be all along. It's the newest single from the band's upcoming Tiny Engines release, Will This Do? out on January 28. The release sees the band "let loose" in larger studio settings with recording occurring in upstate New York and Hoboken, New Jersey.
Much like previous single, "Mine/Yours" this track sees Lily Mastrodimos fully reeling in the emotion and power of a newly formed full band. The once solo outfit becomes something larger and more diverse in sound with these members, "Elizabeth" showcasing this new identity in a stirring, upbeat ode to New Jersey. Sweeping guitar, persistent percussion and Mastrodimos strongly reveling in the spirit of growing up, and moving forward is etched in every second of this swaying single. If you've ever taken a long drive with no destination in mind or you find yourself peering out the passenger window, imaging new scenarios for your life set against a backdrop of unknown destinations, this is the single that will enliven the emotions of those moments.
As Mastrodimos explains,
The fall after I graduated from college, I accepted a job that had me driving around north Jersey almost constantly. It wasn't what I wanted to do, I started around the same time my grandma's health began declining, and I was also getting over an emotionally tumultuous summer. With all of these factors swirling around, I just felt like I didn't want to be here, I didn't want to be in Jersey, I wanted to start fresh somewhere new. But in a weird way, the job I had was a sort of blessing in disguise. I got to explore parts of my home state that I didn't know existed. I got used to seeing the industrial monuments of Elizabeth on my way to meetings in Trenton or the shore. When I felt overcrowded and overwhelmed, I could get in my car and put on the loudest song I had and drive up to the Monksville reservoir or Clinton Road or Jungle Habitat. "Elizabeth" is about trying to feel at home again. It's about looking for signs to tell you that this is where you belong, and finding a new sense of comfort in the place you have the strongest connection to. Looking back on that period of time now, I've realized that it's a love letter to New Jersey, a thank-you note to the places that gave me space and refuge when I needed them most.
Tour Dates:
- January 11 - Washington DC @ Comet Ping Pong
- January 12 - Charlottesville VA @ Tea Bazaar
- January 13 - Chapel Hill NC @ Local 506 w/ It Looks Sad. and Infinity Crush
- January 14 - Asheville NC @ Fleetwoods
- January 15 - Athens GA @ Flicker Bar
- January 16 - Tallahassee FL @ The Bark
- January 17 - Birmingham AL @ The Firehouse
- January 19 - Nashville TN @ TBA
- January 20 - St. Louis MO @ Beefs
- January 21 - Cedar Rapids @ The Hive Collective
- January 22 - Madison WI @ Williamson Magnetic
- January 23 - Chicago IL @ Subterranean Downstairs
- January 24 - Ann Arbor MI @ Blue House
- January 25 - Athens OH @ House Show
- January 26 - Pittsburgh PA @ House Show
- January 27 - Philadelphia PA @ TBA
- January 28 - Jersey City NJ @ Monty Hall