Channelling sounds of considered Americana, Vivamagnolia released latest single ‘990 Miles‘ last week as part of the Oh Yeah’s Scratch My Progress development programme. A week on, we bring you a first look at the track’s visuals.
Patrick J. Hodgen has been working under the Vivamagnolia name since 2019, a fresh start after previous project Zeal. ‘990 Miles’ continues his tradition of exploring new sounds from a base of lo-fi country and Americana. ‘990 Miles’ has musical, and lyrical, nods to the likes of Neil Young and Gram Parsons, but it’s the Wilco influence that is unmistakable here. Vivamagnolia dipped into experimentation and college rock on his debut EP but this is a softer side, with Hodgen’s wistful vocals locked into the classic sound of a band making beautiful music, layered with piano, country guitar runs and organ swells.
‘990 Miles’ has a yearning timelessness, its vintage tone emanating universal nostalgia, now mirrored in the archive footage music video, as Hodgen explains below. The 1970s road trip footage sits harmoniously in step with the music.
“990 Miles was written as this confessional, longing tale of something contextually ambiguous while still feeling universal. It’s like the hyperbolic post-argument apology or the feeling of complete detachment in equal measures. The music video was compiled of stock archive footage from a Mid-70s family road trip in the Appalacians. Long drives and Bear encounters seemed pretty apt at 3am when I finally put the footage to the music, it elevates that lonely but connected feeling the song evokes.”
‘990 Miles’ is a gorgeously classic piece of songwriting that sees Hodgen align with masters such as Mark Linkous, capable of toeing the line between alternative, folk and country.
