Video: Tomberlin – “Seventeen”

Directed by Zach Xanders. From At Weddings, due August 10 on Saddle Creek.

You always say that I look so tough
But it’s because I’m tough

Sarah Beth Tomberlin is a 23 year old songwriter from Kentucky who records for Saddle Creek. Her dad’s a strict Baptist pastor. She was homeschooled. One of the first secular albums she owned was Bright Eyes’ I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning. And now she writes her own lovely acoustic songs about love and connection.

She told the Fader: “The whole point of music is to be honest with people and tell stories and bridge a gap that maybe shouldn’t be there. No matter where you stand religiously or politically or socially, people interact with all sorts of art. I’m based in Louisville now, but I wasn’t when I was writing the stuff. I kind of just felt like, There’s no way this will ever get to anybody. I’m not a part of a scene. I’m not in Brooklyn or Philly or Chicago. I was just doing music for myself. I legitimately never thought a lot of these songs would come out. I was doing it to become a better writer and to process my experience.”

At Weddings was originally released last year on Joyful Noise as part of their 2017 White Label series limited to 500 hand-numbered vinyl copies. Saddle Creek is giving it a wider release and adding three brand new songs.

“Seventeen” is one of those new songs (along with “A Video Game” and “I’m Not Scared”), and it’s really good.

Tomberlin: web, twitter, amazon, apple, spotify, wiki.

Video: Tomberlin – “Self-Help”

Directed by Laura-Lynn Petrick. From At Weddings, due August 10 on Saddle Creek.