After The Audreys guitarist and founding member Tristan Goodall passed away in 2022, you might thought the band was done. However, they’re back with a beautiful new song “Secondhand Boots,” their first release since their 2014 album ‘Til My Tears Roll Away. As you might expect with Taasha Coates remaining at the helm, this gorgeous song is worth the wait.
“On our last tour we did a cover of Lonely Girls by Lucinda Williams,” she shared, “and we love the way the track locks into a gentle but driving two-feel and sticks to it throughout the whole song. Our drummer Beej [Barker] would stand at the front and play shaker, something that is surprisingly difficult to do well. So that song became a reference track for us when we were recording ‘Secondhand Boots’ because it was such a fave.”
“I’ve made a lot of bad decisions in my life, but a few years ago I made an absolute doozy,” she added. “This song is about that, and that’s pretty much all I can say without getting sued. They are my boots in the cover art. I bought them in Texas nearly 20 years ago, so they’d have some stories to tell. Sadly, they’re not actually the secondhand boots referred to in the song – those ones I threw away.”
Recording more music as The Audreys has helped Taasha deal with the grief she experienced losing Tristan, who gave his blessing to continue the band without him.
“Losing Tristan really devastated me,” Taasha said. “He’d been my dearest friend for 25 years, but we remember and honour his legacy all the time on stage and in the studio. I’ve been healing through music.”
We won’t need to wait too long to hear more new music, as The Audreys will release their new album Ruin & Repair on March 14. Pre-order it on vinyl now to get a signed copy when it drops. They’re also planning some tour dates, so 2025 looks to be a massive year for fans of The Audreys!
Photo credit: Todd Bennett