Caroline Reese goes full country on new EP Two Horses
Reading native Caroline Reese has just released her newest EP, Two Horses, a quick collection following her earlier 2017 album Tenderfoot. Reese has quite the expansive repertoire of alternative/indie songs under her belt, but she’s a country artist at heart, and these four new tracks really show us her roots. She worked with household names such as Jerry Streeter – Brandy Carlile’s own touring engineer – to put this piece together, and that transition from edgy indie artist to earnest and heartfelt country singer comes through like it’s been waiting to be heard for a long time.
Two Horses documents Reese’s move from bustling Philadelphia, where the demand from the music scene is at an all-time high, to rural Montana, for the much-desired peace and quiet that the city sometimes just can’t give. Her lyrics tell of the pain of leaving things behind, the fear of the unfamiliar, and the relief of knowing she can become something new. This is a collection of songs about change, and a semi-cross country move is anything but easy. But all country singers know that call towards solitude, because in the end that’s where the best writing tends to happen.
Compared to Reese’s previous work, this new EP stands out. It’s the first since leaving the city, and that undertone of fear of leaving and forcing the adjustment to a new place is there, and it’s there in the best way possible. Her lyrics are real and raw and honest, and there’s nothing like a huge life change to pull that sort of emotion out of a person who already possesses the talent to find it within herself.
Reese has made headlines for herself aside from album releases. She and her band, The Drifting Fifth, have opened for Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton, Chely Wright, and the Secret Sisters. She has toured nationally as well. It goes to show that Taylor Swift isn’t the only acclaimed country artist to make it out of Reading.
You can find Two Horses and the rest of Reese’s music on her Bandcamp, and catch her at her release show on September 14th at Mike’s Tavern in Reading.