Exclusive track premiere of ‘Origin Of Names’ by The High Water Marks, taken from their upcoming album, ‘Proclaimer of Things’.

Following-up 13 years of being off the scene with a critically and commercially welcomed new album and then quickly coming in hot with another batch of 13 songs isn’t an accident. In this case, it’s a coping mechanism. With the United States reaching a milestone of 1 in 500 people having succumbed to COVID-19, it’s tragic news that this statistic hits home for Hilarie Sidney of The High Water Marks. Her mother, half a world away, passed from the virus earlier this year. “Not being able to see her and knowing that she was alone, dying in a nursing home, still haunts me daily,” Sidney courageously reveals. “Ecstasy Rhymes had been such a fun and positive experience, but it became an emotionally turbulent time since my mom was sick. The pandemic didn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon, and it was so discouraging.” Sidney knew that when she began to build a life in Norway with her band mate and husband Per Ole Bratset and their son, that she would be just a 12-hour flight from the rest of her family, but that 12 hours became something completely different under lockdown.

“I never factored in a pandemic,” she says. “At least my mom got to hear our record before she passed away. That means a lot to me because she was always really happy and supportive of my music.” The thirteen songs that comprise ‘Proclaimer of Things’ are just a drop in the bucket, considering how much Sidney has leaned on songwriting to take her mind off things. “I feel like I can’t pick up the guitar without writing a little melody. As therapy, we decided to keep recording. We dove into the project to keep us sane, focused, and from going down the rabbit hole of depression and self-pity.”

“Hilarie was on fire,” says Per Ole of Sidney’s songwriting pace. “I think these are the best she’s ever written. She has a couple of tunes that are true departures too, some really slow and psychedelic ones, in addition to the beautiful pop songs that have become her signature.

Through it all, Sidney (Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards, and Drums) and the rest of The High Water Marks (Bratset on Vocals & Guitars, Logan Miller on Bass, Guitar, Backing Vocals, & Drums, and Øystein Megård on Drums, Keyboards, Backing Vocals, & Percussion) have made an album that is positive, light, happy, and meaningful. “I think my mom would approve of my method of dealing with the grief of losing her. I hope that all of the positive energy and love that went into the making of this record will be felt by all who listen,” Sidney says with trademark optimism.

‘Proclaimer of Things’, the latest album by The High Water Marks, is scheduled for release on Feb. 4th, 2022 on Minty Fresh.

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