Jon Lawless and Mary Cassidy :: "Carolina"

In what immediately became my second favorite song ever written about Carolina, Jon Lawless and Mary Cassidy, both of First Rate People fame, team up here on "Carolina," the first track from an EP promising to follow in the coming months. It's a heart-broken road song, something about the destructive personal minutia develops in most close personal relationships, and what might be out there to save us. Stylistically, "Carolina" is in the shape of "Nothing Better," a mildly linear conversation between Lawless and Cassidy about the breaking state of affairs. Lawless finally concedes one of the great shrugging lyrics, "There's Carolina to explore/I'm not kidding/I'm driving/And you're just stoned." Healing might be out there on the road; the way out might be the only way through. The melody, a double helix hook, sees Lawless and Cassidy trading roles, a flickering mandolin/ukelee riff providing the backbone for a glimmering slice of heartsick pop.