Single/Video Premiere: El Drifte, “Misguided Ways”
The Minnesota alt-country artist’s new single explores darkness and decline with a lighthearted touch. Hear it (and watch the video) first here before it releases tomorrow!
El Drifte. Photo courtesy of the artist.
When Jeremy Jaros, aka El Drifte, set out to make an album in 2020—before being derailed by the pandemic—it was very different from the one he ended up creating three years later. By the time he was able to work on it again, he was “in a very different place, emotionally and spiritually,” says the Minnesota artist. Songs were added and changed, and a whole-album concept began to form.
Grabbing at Water—El Drifte’s third record, which comes out Friday, February 16, 2024—has a cohesive emotional core that Jaros describes as “lamenting” and “nostalgic,” but it’s also sonically anchored by El Drifte’s signature alt-country sound, brought to life by a truly powerhouse group of Nashville musicians at Welcome to 1979 studio. The album carries a strong throwback country vibe, drenched in pedal steel, while still containing a nod and wink to Jaros’s punk influences.
We’re honored to present today the exclusive premiere of the album’s lead single, “Misguided Ways,” as well as its accompanying music video. Both song and video officially drop tomorrow, January 19.
El Drifte’s “Misguided Ways” music video still.
“‘Misguided Ways’ was born out of my own struggle to find my way out of the abyss in the months and first couple years following the loss of my brother to cancer, and the sinking feeling that I was only going to continue falling deeper into bad decisions and old habits,” Jaros explains. “Musically, it has a more chill, lighthearted, beach-music vibe that complements the darker, sadder lyrics.” Jaros likens it to feel-good songs about feeling bad such as “Margaritaville” or “Sunday Morning Coming Down.”
The homage to the Jimmy Buffett classic deepens in the tongue-in-cheek video, which was directed, filmed and edited by Jaros’s old friend and former El Drifte drummer, Paul Perez (who now owns and operates Unidos Food Co. in Broken Clock Brewery in Northeast Minneapolis). In it, Jaros wakes up mid-bender in sun-drenched Mexico only to be pursued by mischievous devils and beaten up by a would-be lover. “The video is a fun, somewhat comical play on the song’s theme,” he says. “We tried to simultaneously capture both the dark side of the lyrics and the upside of the music.”
Watch & listen to “Misguided Ways”!
“Misguided Ways” will be officially released Friday, January 19, 2024. The full album Grabbing at Water comes out Friday, February 16. El Drifte will celebrate the album release that night in Nashville at The 5 Spot, featuring all the musicians who play on the album.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carol Roth. Photo credit: Dan Lee.
Carol Roth is the primary writer, social media manager, podcast producer and event-calendar updater for Adventures in Americana. By day she’s a marketing writer/brand strategist. In addition to playing guitar and songwriting, she writes self-proclaimed “trashy” novels under the pseudonym T.A. Berkeley.
