Bria is a new project comprising Bria Salmena and Duncan Hay Jennings, who are both in the band FRIGS and have toured as part of Orville Peck’s band. This new project was forged in the pressures of the pandemic, and thus found Bria wanting to escape their own world and into the minds of those they admired. “I wanted to listen for what might reflect my life back to me,” Salmena says, “six tracks that could be my mirror.”
Thus, their first release is set to be a set of six covers of classic tunes from the likes of Lucinda Williams, John Cale, The Walker Brothers and more; it’s called Cuntry Covers Vol. 1 and comes out on September 24 through Sub Pop.
Along with the news, they’ve shared the set’s opening track, “Green Rocky Road”, a song originally by Karen Dalton. Where Dalton’s original is quite lo-fi and scratchy, Bria have added some fidelity and warmth to it through golden-strummed guitars and a lackadaisical but precise beat. Salmena’s voice is perfectly dusky and weathered, capturing that spirit of someone who’s been on the long road to nowhere for longer than they can remember – but they just keep going.
What’s magical is that they haven’t lost the intimacy of Dalton’s “Green Rocky Road” in the process. This closeness and work process is something that can be seen in the video, with Salmena saying:
“We wanted the video for “Green Rocky Road” to act as an homage to the concept of Cuntry Covers — a small window into the world in which it was created, highlighting the collaborative nature of the project and the friendships behind it.”
Watch it below or find Bria’s “Green Rocky Road” on streaming platforms.
Bria’s Cuntry Covers Vol. 1 comes out through Sub Pop on September 24 digitally and December 10 physically. The track list is:
1. Green Rocky Road (Karen Dalton)
2. Dreaming My Dreams With You (Waylon Jennings)
3. Buffalo Ballet (John Cale)
4. Fruits of My Labour (Lucinda Williams)
5. The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore (The Walker Brothers)
6. I Don’t Wanna Love Ya Now (Mistress Mary)
You can find Bria on Bandcamp, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
