Listen to William Elliott Whitmore’s cover of Esmé Patterson from their upcoming split single
Eight records deep, William Elliott Whitmore has shown no signs of slowing down. The Iowa native makes bluegrass that works in a similar fashion to Bruce Springsteen’s world-weary Americana. Today, The A.V. Club is streaming Whitmore’s side of his upcoming split single with Esmé Patterson, which is coming November 18 on Bloodshot Records. Here Whitmore takes on “Elysium,” from Patterson’s debut album, and while he doesn’t drastically change the arrangement, he uses his gravel-trodden voice to put his own spin on Patterson’s creation. Of the song, Whitmore had this to say:
“Esmé and I became buddies while on tour last year. The idea for this 7-inch grew out of that, out of respect for each other and each other’s music. I chose her song ‘Elysium’ for this project because I loved the lyrical Imagery and melody. I tried my best to do it justice.”
Pre-orders for the split are available now through Bloodshot Records.