Highwalllow & Supermoon Songs was born from a period of personal struggle when Little hit a years-long stretch of burnout and found unexpected healing and a creative spark in painting. A green-ink pen discovered on the sidewalk rekindled his sense of wonder, leading to a series of monochrome artworks that would later inspire the album’s cover and spirit. “I loved the way it looked, the way it would glide when the ink flowed. It felt good to just let go,” he explains.
What began as a meditative artistic practice grew into a collection of paintings that became the basis for a solo exhibition in a hospital gallery and ultimately the hand-painted gatefold jacket that houses the new album. That spirit of renewal carried into the recording process, which began at Little’s home studio in Columbus, OH. Longtime collaborator Glenn Davis helped shape the sessions, while producer Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes) brought the songs into full focus with expansive, layered mixes.
Like the green ink that sparked it all, Highwalllow & Supermoon Songs feels more found than written. “I wanted this album to reflect that—some songs were found on the landscape, others were found on two moons, orbiting that landscape like satellites, disparate pieces pulling on each other, creating a world of song,” Little explains.
Highwalllow & Supermoon Songs stands as Saintseneca’s most realized release to date – a 21-song opus that’s more adventurous than anything he’s done before, yet grounded in a pop sensibility that makes its expansive sonic world accessible. The album feels familiar and rooted, yet carries more gravity as two moons orbit its landscape. Strings and synths intertwine with drum machines and samples, creating a sound that defies easy categorization – unamericana. “I found that I circled back to the country music that I grew up listening to and always wanted to run from, but then I just wanted to hear it. The voice of George Jones, raw and razor sharp with emotion, the alchemical perfection of Hank Williams’ songwriting, Dolly Parton’s crushing melodies. They seemed to effortlessly cut through the air, floating in the atmosphere like perfume even after the songs stopped.”