Austin band Farmer's Wife drops haunting Donovan cover ahead of Cloud Nothings tour
FARMER’S WIFE COVERS DONOVAN WITH
“SEASON OF THE WITCH” - LISTEN
HAUNTING TAKE ON THE HALLOWEEN CLASSIC
USHERS IN A NEW SEASON OF SONIC EVOLUTION
SUPPORTING CLOUD NOTHINGS ON TOUR THIS FALL,
"Atmospheric production and superfluous reverb.”
- AUSTIN CHRONICLE
“Fuzzy sludgy grunge-y super melodic goodness.”
- OH MY ROCKNESS
Austin rockers Farmer’s Wife are excited to share their cover of “Season of the Witch,” refreshing the infamous Donovan classic. Arriving just in time for Halloween celebrations and their extensive U.S. tour supporting Cloud Nothings, today’s release sees the band experimentally reimagining the beloved track, wringing out every tangled and beautiful note, and stretching it into compelling, spiraling chaos.
“Our cover of ‘Season of the Witch’ materialized out of a drum beat and pedal feedback two Halloweens ago,” explains lead vocalist Molly Masson. “This creepy classic opened us to more experimentation and allowed us to dive into an eerier side of our sound.”
LISTEN TO “SEASON OF THE WITCH”
Since their inception in 2021, Farmer’s Wife has been a local go-to within Austin’s DIY scene, known for their incendiary performances, swirling guitar riffs and sludgy sound. Their first EP, There’s A Monster, arrived last fall and solidified their ability to create atmospheric songs that pull the listener in completely, bringing them into their dark fairy tale world. Earlier this year, the group shared a new single “Boheme,” previewing a deep shift in sound before touring around the U.S. and hitting hotspots like Los Angeles’s Moroccan Lounge and Brooklyn’s Union Pool.
Coming off an extensive summer tour around the country, Farmer’s Wife will hit the road again this fall supporting Cloud Nothings, Equipment and Armlock. After the tour's first leg, they will return to Austin for a hometown Levitation Festival set with Illuminati Hotties and Hello Mary. For a full list of dates, see below or visit farmers-wife.com.
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FARMER’S WIFE LIVE
OCTOBER
19 - Lakewood, OH - Mahall’s #@
20 - Columbus, OH - Woodland’s Tavern #@
21 - Louisville, KY - Headliner’s Music Hall #@
22 - Birmingham, AL - Saturn #@
23 - Nashville, TN - The Blue Room
24 - Atlanta, GA - Aisle 5
26 - Gainesville, FL - The Fest †
28 - Richmond, VA - Richmond Music Hall #@
29 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s #@
30 - Asbury Park, NJ - Wonder Bar #@
31 - Brooklyn, NY - Baby’s All Right #@
NOVEMBER
3 - Austin, TX - Levitation Festival †
21 - Los Angeles, CA - Zebulon #*
23 - Las Vegas, NV - Sinwave #*
25 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater #*
26 - Fort Collins, CO - Aggie Theatre #*
29 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th St Entry #*
30 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle #*
DECEMBER
1 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle #*
2 - St. Louis, MO - Blueberry Hill Duck Room
3 - Lawrence, KS - Bottleneck
5 Oklahoma City, OK - 89th Street
# - w/ Cloud Nothings
@ - Equipment
* - w/ Armlock
† - Festival Appearance
Picture an intersection of dark fairy tales, anguished love, technological nightmares and horror show romance. Brooding squarely within that crossroads sits the Austin band Farmer’s Wife. Influenced by 90’s dirge rock, 60’s psych and occasionally 80’s nonchalance, their songs are reminiscent of classic early records from Smashing Pumpkins, Slowdive, and Hole as well as the pained imagery of 2000’s emo pioneers. Their songs are as powerful as they are frail, as ethereal as they are stark.
If singer Molly Masson’s coquettish onstage performance distracts you from the despair, anger and confusion in her voice, that’s just part of the puzzle. The nuances of their music deliberately creep out at each listen. Lulling, intricate guitar lines traded between Jude Hill, Derek Ivy and bassist Jacob Masson. Hypnotic drumming from Jaelyn Valero that at times, when their live show spirals into free-form abandon and structure is left behind, recalls John Densmore.
Farmer’s Wife however, for all their experimentation, are master songwriters, never more capably displayed than on gentle yet jarring songs such as “Keep Hate In Your Heart” or in lyrical lines that run from the epitome of sweet (“I miss having her hand here in mine”) to ghastly (“I chop you up in little pieces let you grow a little mold; My fungus worms and rats will eat at all your fats until you cease to exist”).
It’s the purest of storytelling - both intensely personal and conversely voyeuristic. At one moment a world seen through their eyes, the next relegated to watching it play out through a window, isolated. That push-pull of intimacy and distance is central to the recordings and the live show, leaving you constantly off-kilter but always enraptured.
