.jpg)
The W Lovers Examine a Year in ‘For A Day or a Lifetime’
“Love is a constant. It’s what makes us crazy and it’s what keeps us from going crazy. The W Lovers have found some of the keys and they share them with a joy and wonder on For a Day or for a Lifetime that keeps us in touch with who we are.”
NEW YORK—Fleur and Wesley Wood, otherwise known as The W Lovers, have made a name for themselves all over the American West since their inception in 2014. The husband-and-wife duo's music centers around immaculate vocal harmonies and gorgeous acoustic instrumentation, showcased beautifully on their third album together, For a Day or a Lifetime, out on October 21.
Known for their sweet blend of indie-folk and Americana, The W Lovers teamed up once again with Bear Creek Studio. For a Day or a Lifetime builds on the sound they created on 2019’s This Little Town, for a fuller-sounding record that still sounds unmistakably like The W Lovers. Lyrically, the album tells a cinematic story of a year of travel around the US.
The album begins with “Little Ant,” a metaphor for all there is to do at the start of things. It’s about how threads of the past weave their way into something new, regardless, whether broken pieces of a country, or tinges of expectations unrealized. “There’s a fire burning in my dream home and we’re holding hands in the frame” the song says, infusing a nuanced spirit of hope into what’s to come.
As spring rolls into view, “March” is a testament to how “sometimes it’s the sad songs that people need,” Fleur says. It was written after encountering a soldier about to be deployed. “Trickle in the Fog” is the rush of winter’s thaw, written as the wind in Port Gamble, Washington, led the duo to wonder about possibility. “I was thinking about all the people who stood in the same spot before me, with their own worries about life, what struggles they faced and what life was like for them,” Fleur says.
“Wesley once told me, there’s a German word Fernweh, which is the opposite of homesickness,” she continues. “The literal translation is ‘Far-sore’ - it’s often summed up as a longing for distant places or nostalgia for places you haven’t been to and this song is a sum up of that feeling—but with people, too. People that came before you, years before and stood on the land you’re on right now.”
“Roll Up the Highway” continues the journey with a literal road trip, while “Treasure Like Gold” reminds listeners to enjoy the ride and slow down along the way. “It’s a suggestion to take the little moments to really be together,” Fleur says. “It’s about appreciating that it takes time to form a long love and also appreciating the little moments in between the big memories. That’s usually when we are most ourselves and that’s where the love is.”
“In October, the sun disappears from Seattle and it doesn’t really come back until March. It’s dark early and it’s gray for months. It’s one hundred percent why grunge happened,” she says of the inspiration behind “Dandelion Bouquets.”
“In previous songs, we’ve mentioned cherishing the good things and holding onto time and moments together,” she continues. “In this song, we explore a darker truth: Sometimes, life gets in the way and we fail at all those good things we sing about. Sometimes we just spiral out of a good thing.”
“I do like the sentiment of going to the ends of the earth for the ones you love,” she says of “I Love You Best,” the album’s closer. “I also love that I’m talking about cutting deals to get someone into heaven.”
On For a Day or a Lifetime, The W Lovers are relishing what compels us to continue creating a life well-lived, whether it’s the type of love that drives us to the ends of the earth, or the feeling of little hands on apron strings.
“In a world of five-second reels, our hope is that we’ve made a lush and full exploration of the everyday, and the magic hiding in the mundane,” the duo says. “There’s so much to be learned from slowing down. If you can laugh with us and cry with us on this album, we’ve done our job well.”
