X Ambassadors’ Townie
X Ambassadors released their new album Townie on April 5. Townie pays homage to the personal experiences of brothers Sam Nelson Harris and Casey Harris (later joined by Adam Levine on drums) as they grew up in Ithaca, New York.
Working on this album was a nostalgic experience as the band returned to Ithaca to record and finish writing the tracks for the album. This album can be summarized in three words for the band: “Dynamic, personal, nostalgic.” Townie emulates home and teenage emotional experiences as an exploration into what memories of home mean.
As the band reminisced on childhood in Ithaca, they noted the significance of the album artwork. Most might see a gas station and drive right past, but for the brothers, one particular Sunoco in town holds hundreds of memories. After classes or on weekends, the brothers would meet up with friends before heading out to random parties, often in the woods.
“The gas station, early on, became a symbol for me [Sam] and for the record.”
These stories of excitable teenage experiences inspired the track “Sunoco,” and added a personal touch to their big project.
“I was something to feel like everyone can connect to it… The longer I’ve been working with an artist, I’ve learned the more hyper-specific I get, the more universal the message can become.”
Creating a space for personal experience was both challenging and rewarding for the band, but being in Ithaca while working on the record and recalling old jam sessions in their mom’s basement established a clear narrative of owning your inner childlike wonder. The band hopes these memories create a tether to kids in Ithaca who will enjoy the surprise town references strewn throughout the album.
One particular memory stood out for Sam and inspired the track “Smoke On the Highway,” the track that the band believes would have been an anthem in their teenage years.
At about 14 he decided to go to an American Eagle and try on a pair of flared women’s jeans. Doing so created an alternate persona that explored conceptual boundaries and, simply put, was a fun costume.
With Townie, the band hopes to inspire people to embrace the seemingly dumb, but always joyous moments in life. Listen to the album to join X Ambassadors on their trip through small-town celebrations here.
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