My Dear Companion is a folk trio based in Gothenburg, Sweden. Featuring Hannah Shermis (Eldstorm), Lea-Marie Sittler (Lea & The Loved Ones) and Agnes Åhlund (Glitterfittan), they work in the classic country tradition, with forthcoming album Sister’s Tears made in collaboration with producer Christoffer Johansson and set for release on Förfallet Records. The album is described as a homage to legendary acts like The Carter Family, and the Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt trio, built around vocal harmonies and supported by zither, banjo and guitar.
To introduce the record, My Dear Companion have unveiled a fitting new single—a rendition of the Jean Ritchie song from which they take their name. The track captures everything the band do so well, the seeming simplicity of the acoustic sound belying the track’s nuanced depth, where heartfelt emotion and wistful loss are underpinned by a certain intensity too. As the verses cycle and the vocal melodies grow, it is this intensity that stands out. The spirit rooted in the American folk tradition, where pain and beauty are wrapped up as one.
Oh have you seen my dear companion
For he was all this world to me
I hear he’s gone to some far country
And that he cares no more for me
Photography by Angelica Hvass, layout/design by Christoffer Johansson