The Delines - Sold Out

“Wonderfully immersive stuff... The Sea Drift has been honed to a fine shine musically and lyrically, with guitarist and feature-film-adapted novelist Willy Vlautin sketching the ultra-vivid character studies that Amy Boone inhabits.” MOJO 4 stars

“Here are 11 songs of a romantic, Southern country-soul bent, as economical and well-judged in arrangements and execution as they are in their lyrical content, which is both painfully poignant and utterly unsentimental. The Delines’ way with romance is all their own, and for 41 sweet, orchestral minutes, time is suspended as we watch with our ears.” Uncut – 8/10

May 16, 2022 - The Portland, Oregon based country-soul group The Delines recently released their third studio album, The Sea Drift, via Décor Records. The cinematic 11-track album from the musical collaboration of Willy Vlautin (Richmond Fontaine) and Amy Boone (The Damnations) has received widespread critical acclaim including 4 star raves in Q, MOJO, UNCUT, Financial Times, and Record Collector plus a new feature in the brand new UNCUT.
They just finished up their UK/EU tour with over 7 sold-out concerts and are returning this July for more shows.

The Delines will head out on a European tour in April then will play a hometown show in Portland, OR in June before heading back to Europe in July for another run of dates.

The Delines are the result of the musical collaboration and friendship of Willy Vlautin and Amy Boone, an opportunity for Willy to continue writing his mini-narrative songs that he gained notoriety for as the frontman of the alt-country group Richmond Fontaine through a new voice and perspective offered by Amy. In addition to being a songwriter, Willy is an acclaimed novelist. Some of his novels like Lean On Pete and The Motel Life have been adapted into feature films, so it’s no wonder that his newest material has such a visually evocative and cinematic mood. Describing Willy’s songwriting style.

The cinematic feel showcased on The Sea Drift is bolstered by the rich, warm instrumentation throughout the album. Cory Gray’s keyboard, string, and horn arrangements serve as central musical motifs while being backed by soul bass supreme Freddy Trujillo and jazz drummer Sean Oldham. On The Sea Drift, The Delines once again partnered with producer John Morgan Askew who produced 2014’s Colfax and 2019’s The Imperial, which spent two weeks topping the UK Official Americana charts.

The Sea Drift is the first new material recorded by The Delines since Amy Boone was in a horrific car accident in 2016 that hospitalized her for multiple years and delayed the completion of their 2019 album The Imperial until Amy was able to stand on her own two feet again to finish recording the already mostly completed record. There was a period of time during Amy’s long recovery in which Willy was unsure Amy would want to continue on with the band after the immense physical and mental toll of her injuries, but Amy has a fighter’s spirit, and as soon as she could, she was ready to get back in the saddle and record another album with the band. Speaking of her contributions to the album, Willy said
“‘The Sea Drift’ sessions were also the first time since Amy had been injured that she felt strong and confident in the studio, and you can really hear it on this record. There’s strength to her voice, the strength of someone who’s overcome a lot of trauma and pain.”

The music of The Delines is clearly rooted in the past, as Willy and Amy have bonded over their shared love of soul and country songwriters from the 60s like Tony Joe White and Bobbie Gentry, but what makes this album so special is how it manages to evoke these voices from eras gone by without ever sounding stayed or overly traditional. Speaking to the inspiration for this record, Willy said “The idea for the ‘The Sea Drift’ began with Amy and my mutual love of Tony Joe White. We used to have conversations about his records and she’d always joke, ‘Just write me ‘Rainy Night in Georgia.’ Jesus, what a tall order, but I guess in my own way I started trying.”