A few weeks back, songsmith, bandleader and producer Margo Price released “Fight to Make It.” The soul-schooled track features two superb singers and activists, Mavis Staples and Adia Victoria; together, the three raise their voices in protest of the many ways women’s autonomy is disregarded. Today, Price follows the thread with “Been to the Mountain,” a single she co-wrote with husband Jeremy Ivey that lays out the myriad experiences that are at the foundation of her self-concept and her beliefs.
Produced by Jonathan Wilson — whose work you’ve heard on records by Father John Misty, Angel Olsen, Erin Rae and many others — at Fivestar Sound in Topanga Canyon, “Been to the Mountain” rides on a psychedelic groove that recalls Bo Diddley as filtered through The Stooges’ “1969.” It’s a continuation of the shift toward rock that Price made with her 2020 LP That’s How Rumors Get Started, as she sings: “Used to be a lover, queen and drifter / A cowboy, a devil, a bride and a boxer / A pilgrim and a thief / But it was me underneath / I know who I'm not / And that's all right with me.”
To accompany this prismatic vision of herself, Price worked with director Courtney Hoffman and a substantial crew on a cinematic music video. In the piece, Price downs a cup of ayahuasca and takes a trip in which she meets multiple versions of herself spread across time and space, which she has to reconcile.
“ ‘Been to the Mountain’ is part one of an introspective trip into our subconscious,” writes Price in a release. “It is the perfect continuation of my search for freedom in my art and freedom in the modern age. I have a lot of high hopes for this next chapter and truly believe this is the most exciting music I've ever made in the studio with my band. We have all grown so much, we operate like one single organism — it's telepathic. Courtney Hoffman brought my wild visions to life with the help of an incredible cast and crew in the music video. I wanted the story's hypothetical 8- to 12-hour window to feel like a mini-lifetime. We also wanted to portray how an intense psychedelic experience has the potential to become a spiritual experience, and how that can change your perception of the world around you.”
The single coincides with the relaunch of Price’s Runaway Horses, which began life as an online radio show during pandemic lockdown. The show is now a podcast via Sonos Radio, in which Price has longform conversations with fellow musicians. The debut episode featuring Emmylou Harris is online now; new episodes in the first season will become available on each of the next five Thursdays, featuring guests including Amythyst Kiah, Swamp Dogg, Bob Weir, Bettye LaVette and Lucius.
There’s no word yet on a new album or local shows, but Price will appear at the Southern Festival of Books. She’ll be discussing her new memoir Maybe We’ll Make It, which will be out Oct. 4 via University of Texas Press. Keep an eye on her Instagram profile for updates.
