+ 2025 Tour Dates Include Multiple Festivals and Dates With The Avett Brothers
North Carolina duo Watchhouse (Andrew Marlin & Emily Frantz) have shared new single “Firelight,” the final advance offering from their forthcoming album Rituals (out May 30). A delicate and intimate reflection on the inevitable cycle of both change and consistency, “Firelight” finds Frantz stepping into the spotlight for vocals on this track, framed by bouzouki, harmonium and mandolin (Marlin) and graceful accents of pedal steel (Matt Smith).
Earlier this week, Zach Bryan called Watchhouse’s recent album single “All Around You” “one of the best written songs in the past five years.” Watchhouse performed the song on The Kelly Clarkson Show yesterday.
Listen to “Firelight” here: https://orcd.co/w-firelight
Listen to title track single “Rituals” here: https://s.disco.ac/mokqdedpnlzj
Pre-order Rituals here: https://watchhouse.lnk.to/rituals
Co-produced with Ryan Gustafson (The Dead Tongues), Rituals explores the boundaries between identity and awareness, and how we often confuse familiar patterns with truths. The 11-song collection muses on the endless nature of evolution, asking questions like: how can we have a positive relationship with change? How can we meet our ends gracefully? Is the world on fire or at home in the sun?
The 11-song collection is the pair’s first release of all new, original songs since their 2021 self-titled album, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass chart and earned praise from Rolling Stone (“pristine acoustic picking collides with hazy, dream-like psychedelia”) Mojo, NPR Music, American Songwriter and more.
Starting over a decade ago playing coffee shops and local restaurants around North Carolina, Watchhouse have grown into a bonafide folk music sensation and one of 21st century indie music’s biggest grassroots success stories. With sold-out shows at legendary venues like Red Rocks and the Ryman Auditorium, and hundreds of millions of streams, they’ve earned a reputation for creating music that “redefines roots music for a younger generation” (Washington Post). The duo – now a family of their own – are two singers and musicians with profound chemistry, performing earnest yet masterfully crafted songs that encompass the unknowable mysteries, existential heartbreak, and communal joys of modern life. The forthcoming album is no exception.
Watchhouse is hitting the road in 2025 for an extensive US tour, including shows with The Avett Brothers and festival appearances at MerleFest, Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, and more. Their headline dates start on June 14th in St. Paul, MN, and will continue through fall with stops in Chicago, Seattle, NYC, and more.
For all tour dates, head to the official website: https://watchhouseband.com
