Riley Downing has always been fixated on the sort of people who rarely find their way into songs. Which makes “Hurt To Fall” a bit of an outlier in its (alleged) proclivity for self-examination. Anchored by Downing’s sheepish, rough-hewn delivery, the latest single from the Deslondes co-founder’s forthcoming solo album, Landfill Poetry, examines that uneasy moment when life finally seems to be going your way … until it isn’t.
“It’s about a time in life where everything is working out in a way you didn’t expect,” says Downing. “You’re leaning into it, having built yourself up strong enough to handle it—or so you thought.”
Landfill Poetry is Downing’s second solo album and his first for the late John Prine’s beloved Oh Boy label. Raised in Missouri and once employed as a trash collector before falling in with acclaimed Americana stalwarts the Deslondes in New Orleans, Downing brings uncommon empathy to songs about working folks, restless dreamers and the setbacks that shape ordinary lives. Even his own.
“Maybe you moved across the country for a love you believed in just to find out it didn’t believe in you,” says Downing. “And when you do find out, it knocks you out of your seat, saddle or anything you set yourself up high enough to fall from and get the wind knocked out of you.”
And while Downing is never clear on whether the “you” in “Hurt To Fall” could be him, you feel for the guy anyway. “Trusting that everything will work out the way it’s supposed to can get a little too comfortable too fast,” he says.
We’re proud to premiere Riley Downing’s “Hurt To Fall.” Look for Landfill Poetry August 28.
—Hobart Rowland
