Photo Credit: Francesca McConnell
“I fell in love with the harmonies and sound of a new duo called Companion…”
– NPR Music’s Bob Boilen (All Songs Considered)
“…a gorgeous, poignant folk song with lush harmonies that immediately pulls you into the sisters’ world.” – Brooklyn Vegan on “If I Were A Ghost”
“Companion’s music exudes a quiet, rustic glow…their previous singles show the sisters’ talent for crafting cozy arrangements with soft guitar parts, gentle harmonies, and subtle lyrical and melodic turns…’Snowbank’ is one of the most intimate and beautiful tracks on the record…” – FLOOD Magazine
Companion’s debut album Second Day of Spring is out today, and to celebrate the Fort Collins, CO-based duo of identical twin sisters Sophia and Jo Babb have shared a lovely, sparse live performance video of its title track—filmed in a geodesic dome/greenhouse in Colorado. Second Day of Spring and its singles (“How Could I Have Known,” “23rd Street,” “Snowbank,” and “If I Were A Ghost”) have earned great press from NPR Music (All Songs Considered), Brooklyn Vegan (Influences feature), FLOOD Magazine, Atwood Magazine, Ones to Watch (playlist), and more. Stream the album at all DSPs and pre-order vinyl and CDs, which will be available this summer, here. Companion are currently supporting Tori Amos on her North American tour; an itinerary of upcoming dates is below and tickets are on sale here.
Companion arrive at the start of a blooming new season with Second Day of Spring, a work that softly glows with a sincerity, vulnerability, and hopefulness that they fought hard to find along their way. Raised and homeschooled on nine farmland acres just outside of Norman, OK, their lives changed abruptly when their father, who suffered from Parkinson’s disease, took his own life. “Mental health is such an undervalued issue that’s not talked about enough – so we talk about it through our music,” says Sophia.
The loss pushed the sisters to write. Sourcing inspiration from their shared love of artists like Gillian Welch, Alison Krauss, and Samantha Crain, the duo began to form their own style through a freedom of thought, expression, and directness that can only result from such an intimate, symbiotic bond. Produced and recorded in a Colorado barn by a close-knit, all female team, the process of creating Second Day of Spring was as heartfelt as the album itself. Acoustic guitar is a constant companion to the twins’ harmonies, joined at turns by standout instrumentation ranging from viola to organelle to trumpet to piano, and even the earthly, tender sounds of the natural beauty that surrounded them.
Hope peeks through early songs on Second Day of Spring, like grass growing up through sidewalk cracks, before sprawling out into lush meadows by the album’s end. “It’s been 10 years since our dad died, and it’s taken 10 years for us to get to this point where we feel like trusting,” they say. “We don’t feel drawn toward chaos or constant darkness, whether it was self-manufactured darkness or just bad luck. We both feel better. We’re not unhappy every day anymore. And this album is like that next step toward this new phase of life.”
Companion Live Dates:
5/28/22 – Madison, WI – The Orpheum Theater^
5/29/22 – Milwaukee, WI – Bradley Symphony Center^
5/31/22 – Kansas City, MO – Kansas City Music Hall^
6/2/22 – Denver, CO – Paramount Theatre^
6/5/22 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre^
6/7/22 – Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall^
6/8/22 – Vancouver, BC – The Centre For Performing Arts^
6/10/22 – Oakland, CA – Paramount Theater^
6/11/22 – San Diego, CA – Balboa Theatre^
6/12/22 – Phoenix, AZ – Orpheum Theatre^
6/15/22 – Los Angeles, CA – The Orpheum Theatre^
6/16/22 – Los Angeles, CA – The Orpheum Theatre^
6/17/22 – Los Angeles, CA – The Orpheum Theatre^
10/01/22 – Oklahoma City, OK – Tower Theatre+
^supporting Tori Amos
+supporting Samantha Crain
