The Independent Music Award-winning artist AMY CORREIA, hailed for her “powerful voice” (NPR) and “richly melodic mix of mournful tales and whimsical stories” (All Music Guide) announces the March 25, 2022 release of her new EP As We Are. Produced by Kimon Kirk, As We Are, a collection of five original songs, written and performed by Correia, deals head on with demons, regrets, self-reflection, mortality, and holds the godsend of creative inspiration at its center. 

Noted for a “lyrical dexterity akin to Bob Dylan’s” (Guitar World, Acoustic), Correia has always crafted captivating songs. On As We Are, songs shift shape, timbre and tempo — with arrangements and perspectives that often hold subtle surprises, cinematic twists and turns — all anchored by Correia’s keen eye for detail and sly wit.  

Bassist Kimon Kirk, drummer Andy Plaisted, and guitarist Mike Castellana adeptly ride the ebb and flow of Correia’s stories — whether they lay down a dark-hued amblin’ groove that moves a “Sunday Driver” along, or pull back to give Amy a stunning, searching moment in “The Beggar” as she channels the spirit of Kurt Weill. 

The concept for "The Beggar” was stoked up from a pair of high-top sneakers Correia spotted after a rainstorm. “The person who owned them was nowhere in sight,” reveals Correia, “and I started wondering who they might belong to.” On "Sunday Driver,” Correia sings a foreboding tale of a woman behind the wheel, a dog by her side. The song unfolds quietly in an off-kilter mode, hinting at an impending disaster. It's a song, a short story, and an evocative road trip all in one. “Sweet Things” “a song for no one/Sung in a key that cannot be sung” continues in this vein with its bittersweet ode to life and loss.   

In the song’s buoyant opening track “Bow to the Fire,” Correia light-heartedly asks “Is this enough?/ ‘cause this is all I got.” The song’s invocation conjures Carl Jung, whose suggestion for saving our individual and collective soul is quoted in the chorus: “All we have to give the world and God is ourselves, as we are.” 

All of the songs on As We Are were written pre-pandemic, but Correia found herself re-visiting them during that period of isolation. “I am not a prolific songwriter,” she declares, “but I feel a strong conviction to serve the songs that appear whenever they assert themselves to be heard.” She credits Kirk not only with helping her to record the songs, but also capture their raw energy. The five songs were recorded live in the studio in one day in Boston, Massachusetts. 

The final track on the EP, “With All of Us," is a love song to artists: “This one is for the lovers out there/ The ones who dare to share/All of their hearts (and most of their thoughts)/They share their Love.” It was inspired by a period of her life in Boston among a collective of musicians who uplifted Correia with their creative camaraderie. One of those kindred spirits was alluded to in the lyric:“Her truth was her beauty, her beauty was the truth/ And when she sang, it cracked me open like a shell.” As We Are will be available for streaming and digital download everywhere on March 25, 2022. Physical EPs can be purchased at amycorreia.com. 

Bios 

Amy Correia: 

Ann Powers/The New York Times praised Correia as a "singular talent" after the release of her debut album, Carnival Love (Capitol), followed by "a quiet little gem" (Paste Magazine) entitled Lakeville (Nettwerk/EMI). Jon Pareles/The New York Times wrote: "...like Michelle Shocked and Tom Waits, Ms. Correia turns imperfections into intimacies.” 

Correia's crowd-funded self-release You Go Your Way (2010) found her "back in top form with another rootsy gem of an album" (American Songwriter), for which she was honored with The Independent Music Award for Best Folk Singer-Songwriter Album, Best Love Song and Best Story Song. Correia played the role of Persephone in early concert performances of Anais Mitchell's Tony-Award-winning Hadestown, was a featured vocalist on Cynic's Traced in Air and Carbon-Based Anatomy, and contributed light language on their latest Ascension Codes. Her duo project with Cynic’s Paul Masvidal is Onward with Love (OwL). She also recently contributed a recitation on Jazz artists Rebecca Martin’s & Larry Grenadier’s 2022 release After Midnight. Correia opened for legendary front-woman of The Pretenders, Chrissie  Hynde, on a 28-city tour and has toured extensively with John Hiatt, Richard Thompson and Grammy-Award-winning singer-songwriter Marc Cohn, appearing on Good Morning America, Ellen Degeneres, The View and The Today Show. 

Kimon Kirk (Producer): 

Bassist, singer, songwriter, and producer Kimon Kirk has toured and/or recorded with such notable artists as Gaby Moreno, Aimee Mann, Rufus Wainwright, Alejandro Escovedo, Session Americana, and Amy Correia, and penned songs with Grammy-Award-winners Mann and Lori McKenna. Kirk's 2021 release Altitude was received with international acclaim. Altitude's lush-but-understated production results in an album that "shines a golden melodic light on the darker corners of the human soul, beguiling the listener onto a higher plane. It’s a combination of penetrating intelligence and unapologetic catchiness that’s rare, but shouldn’t be." (The Daily Vault) 

As We Are credits: 

All songs written and performed by Amy Correia (guitar, ukulele, vocals), Mike Castellana (guitars, pedal steel), Kimon Kirk (electric & upright bass, backing vocals), Andy Plaisted (drums). Recorded by Dave Westner. Mixed by Brad Jones. Produced by Kimon Kirk. Mastered by Kim Rosen. Photography: Chris Strother.