Although Mile Twelve have developed a buzz in the traditional bluegrass realm, their latest album isn’t entirely steeped in those aesthetics. For their upcoming album, City on a Hill, the quintet survey a much more comprehensive soundscape. With each of the band’s five members contributing to the latest definition of their sound, City on a Hill is just as full of respectable contemporary sounds as it is respectful of the tradition that Mile Twelve is based upon. Together, David Benedict (mandolin), Catherine “BB” Bowness (banjo), Bronwyn Keith-Hines (fiddle), Evan Murphy (guitar, lead vocals), and Nate Sabat (bass, lead vocals) represent some of the most propitious names in modern bluegrass. City on a Hill serves as another reminder as to why that is.
Mile Twelve describes their latest track, “City That Drowned”, as “a dark parable of events that may come. A young survivor living in the hills dreams of the glorious city his family once inhabited, the blind greed of its stewards, and the terrible flood that claimed it.” Driven forward by progressive instrumentation and ominous undertones, Mile Twelve establishes themselves more as a bluegrass outfit intent on telling a story than in the exact precision of their performance. Albeit, they manage to do both just as well, ultimately effortlessly conveying the track’s mystique whilst producing enough of a grooving rhythm to encourage swaying.
City on a Hill is set to release on 29 March. It is available for pre-order today.