Eliza Hardy Jones questions reality in her new single “Counterfeit”

A multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and quilter, Eliza Hardy Jones recently shared the second single from her sophomore album, Pickpocket. Jones has a unique ability to transport listeners into her world with her ethereal voice and knack for honest and reflective lyrics. 

Co-written with Matt Musty (a member of Train and Jones’ fellow player in Grace Potter’s band), “Counterfeit,” explores the existential dread associated with the ever-blurring line between reality and social media. “In the age of social media, reality is filtered and manipulated so that it can be shared with the public,” shares Jones. “Sometimes it feels like we live our lives for the pictures and posts they will produce. It’s not just that the picture is a manipulation of reality — the reality is manipulated by the picture. ‘Counterfeit’ is a song about this feeling of estrangement from the ‘self,’ and that feeling of disorientation about what is actually real.”

A mix of folk, indie-rock, and Jones’ reflective musical resonance, the song has a lingering, otherworldly effect. The end of the song is lit up by Jone’s soothing voice repeating line, “It’s not real,” as it fades into the outro.

Pickpocket, out on April 19, is an album about grief, and more importantly, surviving it. “Counterfeit” and “This is the Year” (Jones’ first single from the album) work like musical quilts, covering and comforting listeners and shepherding them to a place of hope and even joy.