Overcoats, the talented duo compromised of JJ Mitchell and Hana Elion, have shared their latest new track, “New Suede Shoes” – listen HERE & watch the music video HERE. “New Suede Shoes” is the fourth track to be unveiled ahead of their anticipated album Winner, coming April 7th via their imprint, Never Fall Back Records, distributed by Thirty Tigers. Pre-order Winner HERE.
In the run-up to the release of Winner, Overcoats will be a highlight at this year’s SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas where they are confirmed to perform at multiple events including among others the coveted A2IM showcase on March 15th and a live session with Paste on March 16th. On April 24th, they’ll embark on a long-awaited 16-date North American tour, making stops in major cities including New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Seattle and more.
Having made a lasting impression with their 2017 debut and 2020 sophomore albums respectively, the acclaimed pair have received critical nods from the likes of The New York Times and The FADER and were featured on NPR Music’s Tiny Desk. Influential syndicated show World Café noted, “their voices are so perfectly in sync that when you hear them sing together, you’d almost think it was one single voice.” With a Breakthrough Artist nomination from the American Association of Independent Music, their touring resume includes opening slots for Mitski, Maggie Rogers and Cold War Kids among others.
“New Suede Shoes” was the first track Overcoats created with Winner album producer Daniel Tashian, whose credits include the GRAMMY-winning Kacey Musgraves album Golden Hour. The crystalline and sprawling “New Suede Shoes” instantly set the stage for the playful spontaneity that would come to define the album-making process. Sparked from a moment at the start of the session when Elion spilled iced coffee all over the shoes she’d just purchased, the song soon morphed into a matter-of-fact look at “wanting to be independent and make your own tracks in life, but also recognizing the shortcomings that get in the way of that,” as Mitchell puts it. Graced with a fuzzed-out bass solo from Tashian, “New Suede Shoes” ultimately hits a heady balance of self-celebration and ultra-vivid realism (e.g., “I’m old enough to know/How to take a slow dive/In my fake fur coat/On Riverside”).
The video was co-Directed by Overcoats and Sharif El Neklawy, Elion served as choreographer, while Mitchell handled styling duties – both to great effect. Talking about the artistic vision for the clip they explain, “it toys with the naivety of being a “daddy’s girl” and the (thankfully) fleeting and saccharine moments of girlhood that linger in us. It’s about puffing yourself up enough to make big decisions, even if that means having to play dress-up until you actually start believing.”
Other highlights from the new album include the infectious single, “Never Let You Go,” the stirring title track “Winner” and “Horsegirl,” whose video was filmed in the lush fields of Amy Grant’s Tennessee farm. Winner features additional production from Jackson Phillips (Day Wave, Hazel English, Hana Vu) and Nick Lobel (Harry Styles, LANY) and songs co-written with Trent Dabbs (Lucius, Ingrid Michaelson), Kate York (Lennon Stella, Fall Out Boy) and HEAVY (Christina Perri, Dirty Heads).
Encompassing a warm and luminous sound, Winner demonstrates Overcoats’ evolution as masterful songwriters who effortlessly straddle the worlds of pop, country and electronic. The music was informed by a series of losses and upheavals in Elion and Mitchell’s lives; breakups, splitting with their former label (and the decision to strike out on their own), and the confusion and uncertainty of a never-ending pandemic. “Rejection was a big inspiration for us on this album,” says Mitchell. “Because when you fall off the horse, you can either admit defeat or declare yourself a winner and get back up again.”
