Will Payne Harrison expresses deep gratitude with his song "Simple Truths." Pulling influence from "It's a Great Day to Be Alive" and "Humble and Kind," the Louisiana native penned the ballad as a love letter "about somehow falling lucky in love when you're born unlucky," he says.
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With such songwriting influences as Darrell Scott, Don Schlitz and Lori McKenna, Harrison demonstrates his own strengths as a thoughtful storyteller. "I got 42 cents in my bank account / Check's coming tomorrow, bills will clean it out," he reflects. "The sun is shining, but this weekend it's gonna rain."
In ordinary things, Payne uncovers a deeper understanding and appreciation for the beauty in the world. His words are simple, yet profound. He continues, singing, "Last week I caught a nine pound bass / This six pound test nearly snapped in half / I'm just glad you're not the one that got away."
The accompanying video, premiering today on Wide Open Country, directly mirrors the lyrics and brings a closer intimacy to the story. "Found a love I never knew," he sings. Director Jason Wain (Luke Bryan, Zac Brown) allows each frame to breathe, and paired with Harrison's honeyed vocal, there's a warmth and tenderness radiating from the screen. "It was shot in one day in early August," explains Harrison, "and I actually had heat exhaustion after the campfire scene. Might have overdone it that day."
Of the song, Harrison "wanted to layer the fiddle so it almost had a quartet feel to it," he says. Pedal steel player Adam Kurtz's contributions elevate the arrangement even further. "[It] was perfect on this track. I wanted it to have a sort of ethereal feel that sweeps you up in the words."
Check out the video below.
"Simple Truths" samples Harrison's forthcoming album, Tioga Titan, expected Oct. 21. "I've always wanted to be a bluegrass musician, but I just don't have the chops so it comes out as Americana," he teases on what fans can expect. "For these new songs, I paid attention to what the fans were really digging into previously and decided that I should release a full album of honky tonk since those were the tracks that resonated most with listeners."
With album production beginning early 2021, it was slow going considering the world was still in the throes of a pandemic. The process fortunately brought about renewed creativity and focus. "Keeping my mind on creating this record, along with doing my podcast, is probably what kept me from cracking," he says. "I knew there was a light at the end of the tunnel, and I saw it, so I raced for it with this record."
