Ana Egge Reflects on a Tumultuous 2020 via “This Time” (premiere)

Ana Egge’s latest single, “This Time”, arrives on 12 January via all StorySound Records on all digital platforms. In part, the track is the result of a summer 2020 conversation she had with her friend, producer/songwriter Dick Connette. He was interested in writing a piece about the social upheaval gripping the nation. Egge notes that she was only too happy to collaborate with Connette. The two quickly set about working on a new song that would support the various social movements working for lasting change in 2020 and providing hope for the future.

More specifically inspired by demonstrations that took place in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, “This Time” carries the refrain:

Something is happening here.

We all know the old road’s a dead end.

Over and over is over.

And again will be never again.

Egge captures both the pain and the optimism of a year that was both cataclysmic and a catalyst for change. Though explicitly written about the events of 2020, “This Time” transcends its particular moment, reminding us that change is always within our reach.

“I believe in an inclusive democracy, the opposite of the white nationalist agenda,” Egge says. “And I believe in the power of music to unite people across space, time, and all imagined or real divides.”

Co-produced by Egge and Connette with engineer/producer Stewart Lerman, the song features backing vocals from Lucy Wainwright Roche and J. Hoard with string arrangement from Rob Moose (Justin Vernon, Paul Simon).

The accompanying video is footage captured by director Ingrid Weise on 31 May 2020 from an overpass on I-94 in Minneapolis/St. Paul of a protest that originated at the state capitol and made its way onto the interstate.