Short Complete Thoughts

Molly Hamilton and her songwriting partner Robert Earl Thomas of Widowspeak spent a lot of time on the road after releasing the critically acclaimed Almanac earlier this year. “We were stuck in a car a lot,” Hamilton says. “I was mostly writing down lyrics and ideas for new things, just to get them out of my system.”

“A couple songs distinguished themselves as being a collective idea,” Hamilton continues. “These songs all have the same mood.” Since the material seemed to complement itself, Hamilton says the Brooklyn-based duo decided to release The Swamps, a six-song EP out Oct. 29 on the Captured Tracks label. “I really like the idea of short complete thoughts,” she says.

Almanac garnered Widowspeak comparisons to Fleetwood Mac, something Hamilton doesn’t entirely agree with. “We were definitely inspired by certain parts of Fleetwood Mac,” she says, insisting she and Thomas were more influenced by other rock ‘n’ pop of the ’60s and ’70s. “We were listening to a lot of Tom Petty and Neil Young.”

The Swamps builds on Almanac’s hazy, psychedelic, indie-folk influences, while adding a layer of Southern, snake-bitten voodoo to the mix. Lead single “True Believer” is practically an aural exercise in evoking the image of a swamp. On top of it all, the sultry interplay of Hamilton’s voice and Thomas’ melodic guitar work evokes classic female-male songwriting partnerships like Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood. “We love those records,” Hamilton says. “I’m 100 percent pro-melody,” Thomas adds. “I like guitar ‘parts’ better than guitar ‘solos.’”

Widowspeak plays with Portland-based, dream-pop duo Pure Bathing Culture 8 pm Monday, Oct. 21, at Cozmic; $8.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!