“Don’t Thank me” is a new track from Washburn and the River, the project of singer/songwriter Jake Rosenberg, who first caught my ear in 2017 with the lovely folk single “Easy Part of Me.” “Don’t Thank Me” releases ahead of Washburn and the River’s new album, coming later this fall. Rosenberg wrote the track in his Cape Cod, MA cabin. The result is a more rock-forward sound, which grows naturally from the folk/roots sound emphasized on “Easy Part of Me.” “Don’t Thank Me” shows the artist’s vocal range early, swapping between suaveness and a soaring richness. The soaring backing vocal addition around 01:30 adds a gentle, caressing layer — followed by a twangy guitar addition that plays especially well over these wordless vocals.
Rosenberg describes the track as follows: “‘Don’t Thank Me’ is about the aftermath of a breakup. It speaks to being blissfully ignorant to a tumultuous relationship, whilst being lost in the image that you have projected onto your partner. In the end, you’re left to clean up the pieces.”
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“Don’t Thank Me” and other memorable tracks from this month can also be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Best of September 2020’ Spotify playlist.
