Singled Out: Summerlyn Powers' The Hive

Summerlyn Powers just released her new EP "The Hive," and to celebrate we asked her to tell us about the title track. Here is the story: The concept behind the title track of the EP, "The Hive," was born because of a stranger's generosity at a drive-through.

My friends and I pulled up to the window to find that the car in front of us had paid for our food, so we thought we would pass it on. The man taking our order leaned out the window to look at the car we were about to pay for. "Those people? Are you sure?" he said with eyebrows raised. I told him yes and his response was, "Man, I gotta get some better friends." After handing us our food, we wished him the best in his search for community, and I drove away with a sense of gratitude. I dwelled on the fact that a loving community is a rare thing, and I forget that not everyone has that gift.

Soon after that, I started studying "Dancing in the Moonlight" by King Harvest and "Southern Nights" by Glen Campbell, and I loved how they both invite the listener into a mythical place shaped by nature, culture, and community. I set off to make my own celebratory, riff-centered song about the joys I've found in Christian community in particular. I wanted to capture my experience of showing up broken and being loved, and to re-tell that through the eyes of a lonely Appalachian vagabond in need of a refuge. He's given some country directions to this backwoods sanctuary, and that's the journey you get to take every chorus. Although it's never explicitly stated that he arrives at this destination, I hint at it in the song's organic outro. We put one mic in the middle of the studio to capture the feeling of "walking through the back" and then finding those "guitars picking to a good time." Listening to the song and especially the outro, I hope listeners feel that they're welcomed into that imaginary place knowing they don't have to fix themselves up to be anything but loved.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more about the EP here

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