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Watershed

by The Belle Curves

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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    Three bonus tracks are included on the CD - one alternate version of a song on the album, and two covers
    Purchasable with gift card

      $5 USD  or more

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Beautiful matte gatefold deluxe edition of Watershed which has 3 bonus tracks: an alternate version of Check Engine Light recorded to tape, and two live-in-studio covers

    Includes unlimited streaming of Watershed via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 2 days

      $10 USD or more 

     

1.
My check engine light was on When I reached the rio grande We hadn’t been gone long But I wished I had a van I sure wished I had a van My little Pontiac gets me Where I need to go From point a to point b Like New York to El Paso New York to El Paso We left north Caroline Thinking we were in the clear But that little orange light followed us down here It followed us down here We saw New Orleans And We saw the end of the world But out in Joshua tree It was all instagram girls Drove from coast to coast Saw our country critically Seeking as do most Some authenticity A little authenticity
2.
We haven’t been talking much these days I haven’t been keeping up with you But I won’t take all the blame cause the phone works both ways We haven’t been talking much these days You never did like my country songs Never wanted to just sit and play Now I’m going out and finding friends that sing along You never did sing my country songs I’ve been singing with you my whole life Songs for two of misery and strife Never could see eye to eye or brave a heart to heart Your silence cut me like knife We sat outside late one summer night Drinking too much beer and talking shit waiting for something that would make everything alright We only sat out late one summer night I got you a birthday gift last fall Its gift wrapped in pink bag in my room Never thought to mention it you never thought to call I’ve still got that birthday gift from fall I spent my whole winter here at home You drove past my house four times a week Driving down to see the ocean you left me alone I liked my whole winter here at home I’ve been singing with you my whole life Songs for two of misery and strife Never could see eye to eye or brave a heart to heart Your silence cut me like knife But I feel like I’m not missin’ you Oh I feel more magenta I’m not blue
3.
I'm so sick of being scared of everyone I haven't met I'm so sick of being scared but I'm not giving up on them just yet I've been staying home I do the same things every night I've been staying home and some nights it feels like I'm alright It's a whole new homesick When it's a feeling not a face It's a whole new homesick When it's a people not a place There's so many days I wish that I could just check out So many of those days but I won't let 'em keep me down There's a little voice inside that tells me it's not worth the fight There's that little voice inside but I won't let it ever see the light It's a whole new homesick When it's a feeling not a face It's a whole new homesick When it's a people not a place I'm so sick of being scared of everyone I haven't met I'm so sick of being scared but I'm not giving up on them just yet It's a whole new homesick When it's a feeling not a face It's a whole new homesick When it's a people not a place Do a little each day Do a little each day
4.
Last night when I left with so much left unsaid You shouldn’t have let me go I never thought I would be one of those guys Well, look at me now Please say you lied, I didn’t say goodbye And I guess now I won’t I go too far, cause I never feel on par Can I still take it back? Please don’t say we’re growing old I’ll run away from the cold Please don’t say we’re growing old I already feel it on my own Last night when you left with so much left unsaid I shouldn’t have let you go
5.
Oh, I'll pawn you my gold watch and chain love And I'll pawn you my gold wedding ring I will pawn you this heart in my bosom Only say that you'll love me again Darling, how could I stay here without you I have nothing to ease my poor heart This old world would seem sad love without you Tell me now that we never will part. I'll pawn you my gold watch and chain love And I'll pawn you my gold wedding ring I will pawn you this heart in my bosom Only say that you'll love me again Take back all the gifts you have given A diamond ring and a lock of your hair And a card with your picture upon it It's a face that is false but it's fair Oh, I'll pawn you my gold watch and chain love And I'll pawn you my gold wedding ring I will pawn you this heart in my bosom Only say that you'll love me again Oh, the white rose that blooms in the garden It grows with the love of my heart It broke through on the day that I met you It will die on the day that we part. Oh, I'll pawn you my gold watch and chain love And I'll pawn you my gold wedding ring I will pawn you this heart in my bosom Only say that you'll love me again
6.
You have no idea how good you have it made When you have it made too good You forget how hard and noisy life can be When you pay for privacy and then you get it Tree lined roads full of overpriced cars Some days i miss my innocence I wish i thought this was all there is but i know better now False green fields poison waterways But look so good from the street There’s no sign of defeat in a delusion I remember so many better Junes than this I want other water running over my skin But a promise to myself is so easy to break Yeah the promise to yourself is the easiest to break You have no idea how good you have it made When you have it made too good You forget how bright and noisy life can be But you paid for privacy and now you got it
7.
Why’d you have to go and leave me all alone With nothing but our inside jokes Why’d you leave me starry eyed and flat broke All my plans turned to smoke Well I can tell you what I know And I can share all that I own A five dollar hat, a full tank of gas, and a free cup of coffee to go I will always sing your favorite beach boys song And I’ll sing this fake honky tonk Rolled down the window and let my hair tangle If it means that you’ll sing a long Well I can tell you what I know And I can share all that I own A five dollar hat, a full tank of gas, and a free cup of coffee to go Well I can tell you what I know And I can share all that I own A five dollar hat, a full tank of gas, and a free cup of coffee to go
8.
1968 02:24
90 minutes from manhattan I was born in 96 I grew up on the east end And it sure felt like the sticks But I miss the laurel canyon Of 1968 They left new york city But I’m 50 years too late When I was a young girl I got on my first plane Down to Huntsville, Alabama I could barely spell my name Now I miss the crescent city And the magic in the air Oh, life was slow and easy The one night I spent there Now I have friends in Bushwick A few in Jersey too But they all work too much now Like rent is always due But I miss Greenwich village And playing old folk songs Planning the resistance Long before my folks were born I miss cities I’ve never been to And friends I’ve never met Romanticize and daydream It’ll all come round again
9.
Spent 02:37
Spending all my time outside Spending all my cash on beer And I know that it’s silly And I know it’s not fair I don’t know how to tell you I’m not prepared Watch the light change in the street (watch the light) Wanting life to change its pace (wanting life to change its pace) And I know that it’s petty And I know it’s not right I don’t know how to tell you I just can’t fight Never meant to stay so long (stay so long) Never want to be the same (never meant to stay the same) And I know that it’s over And I know that it’s done I don’t know how to tell you you’re not the one And I know that it’s over And I know that it’s done I don’t know how to tell you you’re not the one
10.
Sun and Moon 04:24
On our wedding night He looked me in the eye Said I was the only one for him But now he's gone away And I'm sitting here All alone He used to be so sweet He'd never let me cry Now he's the only reason for these tears But he left me no choice And I'm sitting here All alone I did my best to keep out of trouble But the soon and moon don't shine on him no more They thought I'd never know I'd never guess the truth A girl like me too dumb to know the difference But now he's dead and gone And I'm sitting here All alone I did my best to keep out of trouble But the soon and moon don't shine on him no more He made me look a fool He left me in a fit I left his body down by the river I bare no guilt or shame And I'm sitting here All alone I did my best to keep out of trouble But the soon and moon don't shine on him no more I hope that God forgives All my other sins Cause this appeared to me only right But if God no longer loves me I'll still be sitting here All alone I did my best to keep out of trouble But the soon and moon don't shine on him no more
11.
Will you tell me That you’ll still love me When I no longer grant your wish When I no longer answer your call Please tell me that I’ll have your love Will you tell me You’ll listen for me When I no longer stand up here When I no longer stand before you Please tell me that I’ll have your love Can you tell me That you’ll still watch me When I no longer do perform When I no longer do deserve it Please tell me that I’ll have your love Can you tell me You’ll still adore me When I no longer sing this song When I no longer sing it for you Please tell me that I’ll have your love

about

Liner notes:
Long Island’s south shore is a muddy mess of creeks and dammed-up rivers snaking through polluted suburbs and some of the wealthiest communities on Earth. Lacking significant geography beyond the terminal moraines which bisect the sandbar, the boundaries between its various watersheds can be difficult to delineate. In this and other ways, Long Island is a blurry place. You can drive down Montauk highway past some of New York’s most desperate towns, only to find yourself a moment later passing rosé drive-thrus frequented by wasted Hamptonites. This watershed is where The Belle Curves drain their creative vision ac- cumulating into a tributary of dynamic sound, biting lyrics, and infectious optimism. Since embarking on the songwriting process that yielded Watershed, the world has further stratified around Delaney Hafener, the lead songwriter of this rockabilly-ripoff band. What is remarkable about the project is its willingness to address that stratification with an odd combination of nostalgic fantasy and grounded criticism. Through their unique new-wave Americana, The Belle Curves seek to simultaneously recapture some of the magic of a time long since passed, while acknowledging the artificiality of their own “fake honkey-tonk.”
Listening to Watershed, I am reminded of possibility. Nostalgic fantasy breeds this optimism, as the study of histories is rife with both terror and triumph, full as it is with people who once made it through their own uncertain times. The honesty, humor, and affirmation of Watershed is a refreshing sip for a parched world and a reminder that wherever we drain we’ll carry with us every place we’ve ever floated past. - Kelsey Sucena

Production notes:
The entirety of this record was recorded at Silo Recording in Brookhaven NY in the basement of a 150-year-old farm house. The bulk of the tracking was done over the course of 4 days in February 2021, before we had vaccines or any idea how long the damn pandemic was going to last. We rehearsed for weeks leading up to the recording sessions and then played the songs live as a band, something I’ve always wanted to do. I even sang the vocals live while playing the bass on Sun & Moon, a performance I’m quite proud of. The following 9 or so months saw Bill (dad) and I recording all the vocals, more guitars, organ, and flying in remotely tracked piano and fiddle. We recorded with three Saffire Pro40 interfaces and ProTools 11 on an old Mac Book that no longer goes online and a modest but functional set of mics. The tape version of Check Engine Light got recorded when we realized we were ahead of our recording schedule and decided to use the time we had already planned to be together to experiment with our 16-track tape recorder. This was the same time that we recorded our version of In My Hour of Darkness. The Rodent Hour sessions were done when our friend Matt Townsend asked bands to make recordings specially for his show on Brooklyn Free Radio. We tracked the band live and added vocals. You and I was recorded on a whim when another video session was canceled and again, we made use of the time already booked. Those vocals are all live, baby. - Delaney

credits

released June 24, 2022

Drums: Nick Balzano
Bass: Delaney Hafener
Electric guitar (loud ones): Bill Hafener
Electric guitar (twangy ones): Pete Mancini
Lead vocals: Delaney Hafener
Harmony vocals: Anne O’Rourke, Sarah Gross, Pete Mancini, and Sam Monteleone
Organ: Delaney Hafener
Fiddle: Zosha Warpeha
Hand Percussion: Anne O’Rourke
Acoustic guitar: Delaney Hafener and Anne O’Rourke
Piano on “1968”: Steve Kelly
Piano on remaining: Ava Heatley
Lap steel on Check Engine Light (original): Greg McMullen
Lap steel on remaining: Pete Mancini

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The Belle Curves New York, New York

Long Island, New York may not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of country-Americana music with a strong rural connection, but you might think differently after spending some time with the work of singer/songwriter Delaney Hafener. The driving force behind The Belle Curves, Hafener has a way of turning your assumptions upside down. ... more

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