LISTEN: Volunteer Department's "Old Friend"
Check out the latest single/video and read some thoughts from Oliver Hopkins on the new song.
Howdy all,
We’re back at it again with more FUEGO from our LYMI Family. Today, we’ve got Volunteer Department’s “Old Friend”, the latest in a slew of singles from Hopkins. Don’t remember those past singles? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?! Listen to “Big with Delight” & “Wild Fantasy” and get yourself caught up! Check out the new song below!
As if the day couldn’t get any better, we also have a wonderful music video from LA-based Josh Whiteman to accompany the song. Recorded while Hopkins was visiting LA, the video documents a candid “dropping in” on old pals, plus you get to virtually meet the titular Old Friend! Watch the video below.
Also peep Volunteer Department’s bandcamp here. He’s got some very sweet merch that you all should buy.
Here’s some words from Hopkins on the song:
What’s up John Q Public,
Ok so Old Friend was almost one super long bad song until I realized the “bridge” was actually the “intro” to another song: Memory Field (this solved other issues I was having at the time with Memory Field proper; yet behold, the essence of Memory Field was hidden inside the Old Friend material the whole time). Peep the “bridge” in Old Friend and you should hear the same chord motif from “red rover, red rover” from Memory Field. I wanted to underscore the forever-ness of the lyric. Fun Easter egg too for the nerds. Which is me.
I’m grateful to have many relationships rooted in friendship, in my life. I’ve always liked the odd song or two about a good pal. Celebrating what you got while you got it. Some people just keep you going. They deserve more than a post. Especially if you can’t see them as often as before.
I stayed with some friends in Los Angeles for a month and became tight with their cat named Old Friend.
Fast forward, I’m back home at my desk in Nashville, reflecting on a steak dinner I had recently with one of my oldest pals; how distance does a number on people despite their best efforts; about what Old Friend (cat) thought of Los Angeles, having been there in the scene his whole life; and then water turns to wine. You’ve got an idea for a song. My kiss on the cheek to some dear friends of mine.
When I returned to Los Angeles to record Fountainhead with Ben I stayed with Old Friend again. I sat with him in the mornings, before Ben picked me up for work, and showed him what I was doing. I watched him, too. He was always squinting; he had one eye on his world and one on ours, I like to think. I’ll miss him very much.
Luke Schneider played pedal steel on this
Hannah played strings
Parker played vibes
Ben and I did the rest. Ben used a slide on the bass to fake an upright lol can you believe that
You can listen to the new song here
And check out the video here