THE TWO TRACKS
EPK
Top 40 Americana Radio Chart
Top 10 Alt-Country Radio Chart
Press:
Cutting undeniable grooves in the road of Americana music with their new release Cheers to Solitude, Sheridan WY quartet The Two Tracks bend genres into a sound both unique and immediately familiar, laced with a hint of that “high lonesome” tradition.
A fistful of years ago, Julie Szewc (pronounced “Chefs”) and Dave Huebner met in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming with one central thing in common; a love of all kinds of music and a thirst for making it. Along with Fernando Serna (drums/percussion) and Taylor Phillips (bass), they have all knit their passions into the musical family that is The Two Tracks. From their home in the postcard town of Sheridan, the band stirs western roots and wilderness philosophy into a stew of nourishing connection.
Huebner and Szewc trade duties as both vocalists and writers, with songs that traverse the male and female perspective. Many of their arrangements are built around the uniqueness of Huebner’s “standup” cello, which can take the role of a fiddle, or shift to a sultry orchestral solo, while sneaking in as an addition to the potent rhythm section. His opening track “Beautiful” sets the pace for the album - celebrating humanity and the places of glorious solitude that lie right under our noses with lines like “Heaven is right here my friends, staring back at you.” Szewc’s compelling lyrics and enchanting melodies are notable in “All Women Are Healers” and “Eternal School Bus,” which remind us to pay attention to the important people in our lives. Particularly loaded are the lyrics that reflect common struggles we all surely feel… lines like “time is our own shadow, chasing us in the sun...” in “Eternal School Bus,” and “my life ain’t no Cadillac, but it’s one helluva ride,” within “Good Company.” There is an immediacy and complexity of expectations that ring in each song. “Whiskey Please” rocks in a conversation back and forth through a very real debate, while the harmonies remind us that we are all in this together. With the added resonance of Bruce Bouton’s (Kenny Rogers, Garth Brooks) pedal steel guitar and Will Kimbrough’s (Todd Snider, Jimmy Buffett) versatile instrumentations, there is a honey to the dessert that is Cheers to Solitude.
The Two Tracks self-titled debut (2016), voted “Wyoming’s Best Album” by Wyoming Public Radio, was followed by the 2017 release of Postcard Town, their first introduction to Will Kimbrough as producer. Cheers to Solitude, also produced by Kimbrough, was recorded with the Grammy-winning team of Trina Shoemaker (mixing), and Sean Sullivan (engineer) at Nashville’s Butcher Shoppe Recording Studio. The album lives up to the integrity and quality of the band’s previous work while taking a significant step forward, with a sound that keeps us hitting repeat.
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"The Two Tracks avoid many of the cliches and gimmicks that have grown common in the Americana world while still championing a natural, Earth-grown sound. To hear an acoustic quartet reach a level of dynamic and thematic intensity like The Two Tracks do is an immeasurably rewarding experience. It’s pure musicianship, it’s pure excellence, it’s pure Americana."
- AMERICAN SONGWRITER (read more)
"Renown for soaring vocal harmonies and adept musicianship. Cheers to Solitude maintains the group’s tradition for thoughtful, literate songwriting and engaging vocals."
- RELIX MAGAZINE (read & watch video premiere)
“Great vocals, strong lyrics, and glorious harmonies. More than anything, though, it's the sheer joy of making music that comes through."
- GLIDE MAGAZINE (read more)
"Cheers to Solitude encapsulates the soul of roots music, delivered with a wide-open groove. The Two Tracks songs are gentle, thoughtful, ruminations on life.”
"A brilliant, 10-song quasi-country album that unapologetically explores meaningful themes that mainstream Nashville eschewed long ago...warrants serious consideration for "best of 2020" critics lists."
"There is just enough twang in the music to make it country and just enough rock to make it interesting."
- NO DEPRESSION
"We appreciate acts like this that are without a doubt gifted at both songwriting and musicianship. Theirs is a rare gift; to draw listeners in like family, while providing hope in the midst of such uncertainty.”
“One of those consummate Americana albums...the songs just roll along with melodies dovetailing into sublime playing, wonderful harmonies and strong songwriting. There’s a direct line from the songwriters to the listeners with just the right amount of production and texture to make them dance on the surface and slide deep into the soul."
"The Two Track's songs speak to our emotions, leaving us feeling good inside."
“The stories of Cheers to Solitude are an umbrella, sheltering a humanity weathering the same storms, feeling the same pain, and holding on to the same rush of joy.”
- THE ALTERNATE ROOT
"Simple yet panoramic; folky yet danceable."
- KBAC RADIO FREE SANTA FE
