Tenille Townes: ‘Train Track Worktapes’ – EP Review

Tenille Townes releases new EP, Train Track Worktapes out now, April 21st on all streaming platforms. Listen to the brand-new project here.

Exactly one year after the release of her Masquerades EP, Tenille Townes returns with a new DIY-styled project conceptualized, written, and recorded on a charity train trip through her native country of Canada. An annual tradition, the CP Holiday Train benefits local food banks when their need is greatest, as each attendee brings donations to catch the free concert that occurs right on the train cars. During their 15 days onboard last December, Townes and her band played over 60 shows to crowds ranging from dozens to thousands in communities from Montreal to Calgary.

“The generosity of everyone bringing donations to their local food banks as we traveled along was a reminder to me of how much good there is in the world, especially in the heart of the smaller, remote communities,” Townes stated in a recent press release. “In between all these shows, I made it my mission to write about what it felt like to witness that, ride the high, and capture what I was feeling on the trip.”

The project’s major theme is travel. The 5-track EP opens with “Home to Me,” an autobiographical narrative on the singer’s lifestyle. She confesses that even though she loves the road, the love she receives from her significant other will always bring her home. 

“No I can’t help it, I’m a traveling soul // That river running, I was born to go // But wherever all these winding paths or railroad tracks may lead // you’ll still be home to me”

The next track, “Pieces of My Heart,” is a troubadour anthem about how the singer never planned on her career heading down this path, but she wouldn’t trade it for anything. She compares the songs she sings to ‘pieces of her heart’ that she leaves in the communities she performs in. This is followed by an acoustic cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide,” which was recorded in a single take. 

The fourth track, “Coming Together,” is an ode to music. Not only does it allow the singer to see new places all over the world, but it also creates unity between all different types of people. The EP’s closer, “Wheels,” was also recorded in one take. In this slow, acoustic confessional ballad, the singer admits there is nothing that could keep her from the road. 

“How long could you stay in the clouds // That’s the thing about a high is you don’t ever wanna come down // If I could I’d never stop these wheels from spinning ‘round”

This stripped-down, roots-driven sound calls back to her debut release, Living Room Worktapes—an EP that showcased Townes’ transcendent vocals and raw emotion. Townes and her producer, guitarist Jaxon Hargrove, got resourceful with their setup for this new project—a suitcase turned into a kickdrum; tin foil and paper bowls became a shaker; and teacups made the perfect substitute for a triangle. Recording mainly in the train’s caboose, most songs were captured in between shows in less than twenty minutes.

“Being in motion is my favorite state. I love the hum of the engines and the blur of the evergreens out the window, in any mode of transportation,” admitted Townes. “I really do believe that home is not a place, but a feeling that you get. And being on the road, singing songs for people and feeling a part of a collective brought together through music, that feels like home to me.”

Train Track Worktapes EP Tracklist:

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Train Track Worktapes EP is available everywhere you buy or stream music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released music on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.