Powers and the People are the latest outfit from Nashville that’s come to our attention, with it they’re delivering their signature message through infectious hooks and a rich tapestry of dynamic sounds that sets them apart from the rest. Towards the end of last year, they released their single - Wounded Healer - a track that hooked us in straight away. With its intoxicating energy, dreamy vocals, and lush instrumentation, the song cast a hypnotic spell that drew us into their hazy, immersive world. Subtle hints of nostalgia weave throughout their sound, embracing the sounds and atmospheric landscapes of the late nineties and early noughties - transporting us back to a time that felt effortlessly simpler.
Blending the sensibilities of jazz, funk, rock, and punk, they create an intricate fusion of soundscapes that seamlessly weave together, lulling listeners into a state of immersion and unpredictability. As East Coast natives relocating to Nashville - a city rich in musical heritage and culture - they bring with them a unique perspective, fusing their roots with the energy of their new surroundings. Their songwriting serves as the defining core of their artistry, yet it refuses to confine them solely to the indie genre, allowing them to transcend labels and explore a broader musical landscape.
They say: “[This] emerged during a blurry, late night jam session with no one quite certain its moment of origin. Its lyrics present the idea that it is often our pain that unites us; it is our common thread, and sometimes a hidden source of strength and compassion. Rather than hide from that fact, we should embrace that the best healers are, often, the wounded ones.”
Kicking off 2025 in style, they released their latest single, Drug Buddies—a brooding ode to long-lost friends. You can stream the track here.
So let’s get to know Powers and the People:
TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF
Our little five-piece band began in 2022 entirely by chance - Adeline and Connor are cousins and began playing and writing together when Adeline moved to Nashville. Shortly after, Adeline met Mary and Alaina when they moved in across the hall. Addie brought Mary on to play drums for a set of gigs with her and Connor, and then Alaina joined the group a few weeks later after an impromptu harmonizing session on a car ride to dinner. Lastly, Nick, who is a college friend of Mary, moved to Nashville at the end of 2022 and fell in with the band instantly.
As we’ve developed over the past 3 years, we’ve enjoyed exploring and blurring the boundaries of genres, blending between indie, rock, pop, funk, punk, Americana, folk, and more. Not only are we made up of five vocalists, but we are all multi-instrumentalists with varied backgrounds and training that all comes together to create our unique sound. Whether listening through our discography or seeing us live, the way we flow through sounds and textures keeps the listener on their toes and curious for what comes next. We are also all deeply connected to each other as humans, not just musicians.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO MUSIC?
We each took our own path getting into music:
Mary’s parents bought her her first drum set when she was 4 years old and it was love at first sight. Alaina’s mom started teaching her piano and singing when she was 5 (let’s just say there’s been a lot of improvement since then). Adeline describes how she got into music with a reference to an ABBA lyric - “I began to sing long before I could talk”. Connor’s dad played him Green Day’s American Idiot album on a car ride when he was a kid and he dove in. Nick’s parents started all of their children on a journey with piano at age five, and as Nick puts it, “it all went downhill from there”
GIVE US THREE WORDS TO DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND
Nostalgic, Hopeful, Eclectic
CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT THE CREATIVE PROCESS BEHIND YOUR MUSIC?
Between the five of us, we’ve built up songs from a variety of roots. In the early stages, it would begin with Addie bringing lyrics to Connor to add in guitar, then bringing that to the band to build from. As time went on, there were days that Connor would show up to rehearsal with lyrics and a melody line and we would all add in from there. Other songs began with a Nick/Mary/Connor rhythm jam, playing around on an idea while Addie came up with the lyrics to fit. Over time, we’ve developed a beautiful process where anyone can bring an idea to the table, and everyone adds their own influence and playful elements to really bring it to life.
CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT WOUNDED HEALER?
Possibly feral and certainly intoxicating, Wounded Healer’s rock feel will bring listeners back to the late 90’s/early 00’s. The ear-catching riff emerged during a blurry, late night jam session with no one quite certain its moment of origin. Its lyrics present the idea that it is often our pain that unites us; it is our common thread, and sometimes a hidden source of strength and compassion. Rather than hide from that fact, we should embrace that the best healers are, often, the wounded ones.
WHAT’S NEXT?
2025 is shaping up to be an exciting year! We started off the year strong with the release of our newest single Drug Buddies on January 17th - Drug Buddies is an ode to old friends, set over a folk rock soundscape reminiscent of “blonde on blonde” era Bob Dylan meets Noah Kahan. We’ve got another song queued for a spring release - keep your eyes out! - and a few more we’re prepping to take into the studio. We’re also planning more live performances this year. Catch us at New Faces Night at The Basement in Nashville on February 25th (cover is free!) and at The East Room in Nashville on February 28th!
LASTLY, WHO ARE YOU LISTENING TO AT THE MOMENT?
Mary - Lola Young
Alaina - Alex Warren
Adeline - Medium Build
Connor - King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Nick - Caroline Polachek
Stream Wounded Healer here
Words: Tate Powell (@tatepowellx)
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