Catalog Number: 63387064 Format: LP UPC: 850063387064 Sean Thompson has been stretching the boundaries of Nashville music for over the past decade. His nimble and lyrical guitar playing has anchored the live bands of Erin Rae, Teddy and the Roughriders, Emily Nenni, Spencer Cullum's Coin Collection and more. But it's his songwriting project, Sean Thomspon's Weird Ears, that's positioned the 33-year-old as one of the most psychedelic and adventurous artists working today. Head In the Sand, the latest Weird Ears album is out March 21, 2025. It's not only a leap for its expansive and immersive arrangements but for how Thompson translated one of the most difficult periods of his life into his most personal and cathartic record yet. Over 10 rollicking and undeniable tracks, the LP is a potent wake-up call to let go when things get tough. It's about being present and embracing life's towering highs and brutal lows head-on. When Thompson made his 2022 debut Sean Thompson's Weird Ears in 2020, he had nothing but time to write, reflect, and tweak. With Head In the Sand, Thompson's process couldn't have been more different. "My mom died from cancer, my dog passed, and I had a life-altering breakup," he says. "While that was happening I probably played 200 shows that year. I was just living on the road. This record was made while life was happening. I didn't have the luxury to sit and think about what to do." The strikingly autobiographical songs on the record reflect this turbulent period in Thompson's life. Take lead single "Roll On Buddy," which Thompson wrote immediately after his dog's death at the beginning of a six-week tour. Over warm and ambling keyboards, Thompson sings, "You're still with me every walk that I take / You pull me to every bush you peed on / When I scatter your ashes at the park / I know you're going home once more." This album was a direct reaction to everything going on in Thompson's life. Though he'd never approached lyrics this way before, he decided to just create freely and unselfconsciously. "It was actually natural to write about those emotionally intense things because it was so cathartic creatively and emotionally," says Thompson. Grappling with his grief and how unmoored he felt allowed him to see the unhealthy habits he'd developed in his life. "You can go your entire life having an idea about who you're supposed to be," he says. "You can become blinded by your ego, and live life with total blinders on and miss what's happening around you." The phrase Head In the Sand became a sort of North Star for Thompson, a reminder to stop living life with the idea of yourself instead of being in the moment. Thompson made Head In the Sand with a cast of longtime Nashville collaborators. Recorded and produced by Jake Davis, Thompson enlists bassists Alec O'Connell and Ryan Jennings, Jo Schornikow (Phosphorescent) on keys, drummer Ben Parks, Erin Rae, Michael Ruth (Rich Ruth) on synths, guitarist Jack Quiggins and steel player Spencer Cullum. Here, he substitutes the carefree twang of his debut for something more cosmic, timeless, and exploratory. "I thought, '"Okay, man, I did a country rock record: I'm good on that for a while," he says. "This record is way more of a portrait of who I am." Inspired by Herbie Hancock, Frank Zappa, and the Grateful Dead, Thompson eschewed the standard singer-songwriter palette for something knottier. The ebullient and soaring single "Riding In The Van" captures this perfectly. Over wailing lead guitars he introspectively sings, "Through the window, the world pass by / Mountain trees so high / Winding road make you wanna cry." When Thompson wrote that song, he thought, "This is finally the kind of music I want to be making." Early in the recording, Thompson indulged his perfectionist side when he was emotionally at his lowest. "The first recording session coincided with my mom's diagnosis and the crazy way that I was feeling affected everything about every note choice that I made," he says. "No take felt right because I was struggling mentally. But I realized it feels more human. That's life, baby. That's how it goes. You gotta keep playing the music." On the anxiety-riddled "Storm's Coming Tonight," he decided to record the track in one take and the explosive result warts and all is the record at its most compelling. "It sounds human, and that's maybe more of a desired goal than sounding virtuosic," he says. "I'd rather my music just sound like a person made it." Head In the Sand is an exercise in relinquishing control and letting things come as organically as possible. The breezy "Sweet Taste of Tennessee" captures a carefree day Thompson felt alive and loved with friends on tour. Channeling that spirit became the album's heart. "It's about quieting the noise and enjoying it," says Thompson. "The happy accidents get you to where you're supposed to be. Life's happening all around you, and maybe that's more important than whatever you think you're supposed to be doing."