When one of country’s biggest young artists was putting together a new song and needed some mandolin, he turned to a popular Chapel Hill band to help out.
The duo of Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz, known as Watchhouse, teamed up with Zach Bryan on Bryan’s latest single released on Friday, “Pink Skies.” The 28-year-old country star gave Watchhouse a shoutout on social media for helping add instruments and vocals to the song — calling them one of his favorite bands. He added that their collaboration on his project, which is a precursor to a new album expected later this year, is “an honor” and “a blessing.”
According to Bryan, Watchhouse do not appear in the song credits since he wrote and produced the song and the band chose not to pursue a feature credit. But the folk band’s presence is clear throughout much of the song, as they back up Bryan’s vocals and add prominent bars of mandolin.
Bryan is an artist of fast-growing fame thanks to his catalogue of grounded country music. While he’s been putting out music since 2017, the Oklahoma native broke onto the scene with a triple album for his first major-label project and the Grammy-nominated single “Something In The Orange.” Since then, Bryan’s star has continued to rise with the success of his 2023 self-titled album, an Academy of Country Music Award for New Male Artist, and collaborations with artists like Kacey Musgraves, The War and Treaty, The Lumineers, and Maggie Rogers.
Watchhouse, meanwhile, are preparing for a summer tour across the U.S., which will feature a handful of dates in North Carolina. The folk duo — who previously wrote songs and played as the band Mandolin Orange — helped headline the 20th Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival in Pittsboro earlier in May. Their latest album, which is titled as “Watchhouse (Duo),” was released in 2022.
Listen to “Pink Skies” below and learn more about Watchhouse’s upcoming tour on the band’s website.
Featured image of Watchhouse via Shervin Lainez.
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