North Carolina folk rock quartet The Avett Brothers' (banjo-playing Scott Avett, guitarist Seth Avett, double bassist Bob Crawford and cellist Joe Kwon) ninth album True Sadness (2016) may have received some mixed reviews, but its hard to find any faults with their recent music video for "No Hard Feelings". If anything, it only serves to reinforce the appeal of their brand of honest, down-to-earth and wisdom-laden blend of bluegrass, country, pop and folk. Pitchfork's Allison Hussey sums up the band's 'Southern gentlemen' charms succintly: "They were a hardworking group of young men who traded in songs that were as poignant as they were ragged. The titular Avetts, the older Scott and younger Seth, wore their bleeding hearts on their sleeves, and they always came off as earnest, honest, regular fellas from North Carolina who were thoughtfully dedicated to their craft".
The grit that characterized some of their earlier tracks has been replaced by a more melodic maturity (no doubt courtesy of seasoned producer Rick Rubin), all the better to expound the time-honored wisdom of the importance of forgiving and forgetting grudges and slights via the brothers' simply and crystal-clear harmonies:
'When the sun hangs low in the westAnd the light in my chest won't be kept held at bay any longerWhen the jealousy fades awayAnd it's ash and dust for casual lustAnd it's just hallelujahAnd love in thoughts and love in the wordsLove in the songs they sing in the churchAnd no hard feelingsLord knows they haven't done much good for anyoneKept me afraid and coldWith so much to have and holdMmm, hmm'
Lyrics Genius
By evoking ample pastoral imagery and Christian ideas of redemption and salvation, the song recreates the weary journey through life, towards the deathbed ('And walk through the night, straight to the light'). The realization at the end of the song seems well-earned and hard won, as the Avett brothers contemplate death with their chests relieved from a heavy burden:
'Under the curving skyI'm finally learning whyIt matters for me and youTo say it and mean it tooFor life and its lovely nestAnd all of its uglinessGood as it's been to meI have no enemiesI have no enemiesI'll have no enemiesI have no enemies'
This is how you make light out of darkness.
