Exclusive Premiere: The intimate acoustic soundscape of Beth // James’ “Voicemails”

“Voicemails” begins as an intimate crawl through memories of a slow morning. Flipping through pages of a book on the back porch, mugs filled with coffee, and the hum of the radio in the background. As the track progresses, the acoustic-rooted soundscape of “Voicemails” crescendos into an emotional tribute to a father, a wish for a different moment. It’s an epitome of the singer-songwriter genre, something slow, moving, and simply beautiful.

The melancholy look back is much more than just that, it is a tribute to a very special person.  “I think it’s the most honest song I’ve ever written and definitely the hardest one to sing,” says Beth. She dreamed up the song after listening to a saved voicemail from her father who recently passed. “I listened to it once and then this song happened. It’s such a beautiful thing to be able to have those mementos and hear your loved one’s voice when you really need it.”

Beth // James, composed of songwriters Mikaela & Jordan Burchill (neither one named Beth nor James), is a married indie duo from the creative hub of Austin, Texas. Having both been trained on jazz vocals and guitar, they’ve been dubbed “masters of indie-folk” by Austin’s NPR station and KUTX . You can even hear their song “Lion Eyes” in Spike Lee’s Academy Award-winning film BlacKkKlansman.

Their debut full-length album (produced by James Petralli of White Denim) will now be released until June of 2022, but their two EPs “All In Life” and “Falling” are available to stream now everywhere. Follow the indie-Americana duo on social media at @bethjamesband and listen to their new track “Voicemails” below!