Strutting into frame at half-speed in a leather jacket and wind in her hair, Esther Rose physically embodies the breezy feeling of the song she’s singing in her new video for “Good Time.” The third single from her recently-released How Many Times, “Good Time” is about, in Rose’s words, “embracing recklessness and laughing at myself while at the same time being damn scared because it felt like my life was blowing up all around me,” and throughout the video, there’s a little bit of all of that. Esther recalls, “We only had one day to shoot so timing was everything. We brought in some all-stars and old friends who helped us make it happen. This video was powered by homemade banana bread and the Santa Fe hometown network. Working with Consuelo was delightful and we realized we share the same approach to making things: we are both looking for the magic take.” Director Consuelo Althouse adds, “There are two kinds of people: Those who shiver at the thought of breaking down on a long and lonely highway, and those who pop the trunk and pull out the guitar. Esther is the latter. It’s a good time for bad timing. My new anthem.” Fans can join Rose on her wild ride in the “Good Time” video (view below) and stream or purchase the entire How Many Times album right now at this link.
The visual trip of “Good Time” is a lot like Rose’s songwriting, of which Pitchfork just said, “She’s always had a flair for details, the moments other writers ignore.” In fact, in the days since Rose released How Many Times—her third full-length album, second with Father/Daughter Records, and first with Full Time Hobby (Europe)—numerous fans and critics have been highly entertained by the latest of Rose’s homespun brand of country music.
-Forbes noted that “How Many Times is a twangy heartbreak record…but the record is not spiteful, like others incited by the aftermath of a long love.”
-Rolling Stone wrote, “Rose exudes confidence and she’s unafraid to get self-referential.”
-Paste praised the album’s “compassionate vocals and timeless tale of heartbreak that needs to be numbed,” adding: “What’s not to love?”
-In her own words for Talkhouse, Esther invites readers into her headspace as she moved out of New Orleans and spent the past several months promoting How Many Times. She writes:
“A journalist asks:
So Esther, what’s How Many Times about?
I answer in haiku:
please don’t make me try
just listen to the music
and read the reviews
I ask New Orleans:
How many times did I stomp through your streets, dreamlike, headphones on, working on these songs? In love with every flower and puffy cloud sunset and trash pile and corner bar and creeping vine.
I tell myself:
Don’t get bitter, don’t get bitter, don’t get bitter you’re getting older, you’re no spring chicken, appreciate the attention your music is getting.
But then I also say to myself:
Who cares, you’re going to do this anyway.”
