On Margo Price’s newest track, “Lydia,” it is almost like you are being told a secret from the artist’s own life. The song is set to simple strings and guitar backing Price’s somber storytelling, about a woman in a hard place, faced with many decisions, including one about her own body. The track itself is skeletal, with nothing quite rhyming, but entrancing the listener nevertheless, the story unfolding wholly in front of you. Price shifts between first and third person, deeply empathizing with the subject of her tale, and allowing the reader to move in and out of the storyline.
But the story, although sad, does not pin Lydia beneath the thumb of pity. Although it is a heavy one, and certainly emphasizes the weight of the choices in front of her, the tone feels sympathetic but strong, reminding one of the determination required to get through instances like this. The songwriting is realistic, but it is not cruel.
Price explains:
It was inspired by a cacophony of things. There was a women’s health clinic and a methadone clinic with a needle exchange right outside of our venue. I was looking into the eyes of the people I passed and thinking about their stories and really being a conduit for pain. The song feels like a premonition now, with women’s rights being stripped and all the abortion bans happening. When I listen back, I hear what might go through a woman’s mind when she has a difficult decision to make about her body, her choices and her future.
“Lydia” is the latest track off Price’s forthcoming album Strays, out Jan. 13, 2023. Listen to the song (plus a 2015. Price session from the Paste archives) and find Price’s upcoming tour dates below.
November
16 – Nashville, TN @ Parnassus Books^
29 – Fayetteville, AR @ George’s Majestic Lounge*
30 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Chelsea’s Live*
December
2 – Lake Wales, FL @ Orange Blossom Revue
3 – Charleston, SC @ Music Farm*
5 – Charlotte, NC @ Neighborhood Theatre*
6 – Louisville, KY @ Headliners Music Hall*
January 2023
30 – Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel %
31 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse %
February 2023
02 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall &
03 – Austin, TX @ Scoot Inn &
04 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater &
06 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom $
07 – San Diego, CA @ The Observatory North Park $
09 – Los Angeles, CA @ Fonda Theatre $
10 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore $
11 – Arcata, CA @ Van Duzer Theatre $
13 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom $
14 – Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom $
15 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox $
17 – Bozeman, MT @ The Elm $
19 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue $
20 – Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre $
21 – Chicago, IL @ Vic Theatre $
22 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue $
24 – Toronto, ON @ The Phoenix Concert Theatre #
25 – Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre #
27 – Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground Ballroom #
28 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club #
March 2023
2 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club #
3 – Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts #
4 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall #
9 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium !
(^ – Maybe We’ll Make It Book Tour)
(*- w/ Kam Franklin [of The Suffers])
(% – w/ The Deslondes)
(& – w/ Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country)
($ – w/ Lola Kirke)
(# – w/ Tre Burt)
(! – w/ Jessi Colter)
