Video Premiere: “Cast Iron Kettle,” Joseph Terrell

Joseph Terrell (Mipso) recently announced his debut album, Good For Nothing Howl, on Sleepy Cat Records, set for release on May 5. We are thrilled to premiere the video for, “Cast Iron Kettle,” the first single.

Joseph wrote about the process for this record. He said, “i quit trying to write all together, quit playing for a while too. then at the beginning of spring i started dragging a chair under a tree in the yard. wherever i was i would try to spend the morning outside with a guitar. i found a lot of songs that way, like they were already there, waiting for me to sing them out loud. i hope that sounds as strange as it felt.”

On “Cast Iron Kettle,” you can hear this searching, this hope, this serendipity. It feels like a song that was found on a breeze, under a tree, or around a corner. This is to say, it feels like a song you’ve known but feels new.

Featuring a bonfire and friends in the video is the perfect image to this song. The refrain, “Oh, to be home!” is a pithy encapsulation of so many emotions: gratitude, relief, and solace. I love the instrumentation on the song too. Joseph has said that he messed around with new tunings and foam-under-guitar-strings, and other ways to come at songs in new ways. The saxophone adds texture and dimension, creating a dreamscape in the midst of the song.

Anyone who has followed Mipso for the past few years knows that they are constantly exploring new musical territory. “Cast Iron Kettle,” makes me so excited for Joseph’s record and curious about all the other songs he found under the trees.

Make sure you pre-order the record here!

Photo credit: Patrick Terrell