American Aquarium offers a powerful elegy on the suffering of the working middle class on the new track “Me + Mine (Lamentations)”, from their upcoming release Lamentations, out May 1 via New West Records and produced by Shooter Jennings. The “Me + Mine (Lamentations)” video (shot in Clarksdale, MS and Helena, AR) movingly portrays the dilapidation and helplessness of a Southern town, as industry has moved on, never to return. After being betrayed with hollow promises, the narrator’s frustration comes to a head as the song and video erupts in a fiery and emotional crescendo representing the tipping point. Watch “Me + Mine (Lamentations)” HERE and pre-order Lamentations HERE.
Barham notes, “I wanted to write a song for the forgotten majority here in America. The working middle class was the backbone on which this country was built upon. Countless broken promises from the left and right have left the middle class desperate for a change. This song takes place on the Kentucky/West Virginia border around 2016 and was written from the perspective of someone who has nowhere else to turn. It catches up to our narrator a few years after the election. He’s tired of the thoughts and prayers. He’s tired of the empty words from both sides of the aisle.”
The song sets the stage for Lamentations, offering Barham’s most prolific songwriting to date. Unruly and sincere, Barham emerges as an important American voice––and an unlikely peacemaker. He skillfully dissects the Southern experience while offering empathy as the lights continue to dim. By uncovering the stories that far too often stay in the shadows, Barham aims to break through the seemingly impenetrable darkness. He claims, “This song, this album is about the things that break us as human beings and the ways we dig deep to find a way to make it to tomorrow, knowing that tomorrow could be worse.”
American Aquarium is Shane Boeker on electric guitar, Ryan Van Fleet on drums, Alden Hedges on bass, Neil Jones on pedal steel, Rhett Huffman on keys and BJ Barham on acoustic guitar and vocals. Special guests on Lamentations include Matt Douglas on saxophone, The Watson Twins on vocals and Jamie Lin Wilson on vocals.
For more information about American Aquarium, please contact
Karen Wiessen karen@alleyesmedia.com or Taylor Dickens taylor@alleyesmedia.com at All Eyes Media (615) 227-2770
Catch American Aquarium’s BJ Barham online here:
April 2 @1pm EST – The Ranch (Fort Worth) on Facebook