Haunted Like Human – aka Dale Chapman & Cody Clark – preview their forthcoming American Mythology album with a slice of good-time, grudge-bearing, ‘told-you-so’ country rock. Married In Savannah is just the thing to get pulses racing in anticipation…
Release Date: 27th June 2025
Label: Self Release
Formats: Digital
AMERICAN MYTHOLOGY IS ON THE WAY!
Haunted Like Human – aka Dale Chapman (lead vocals and lyrics) and Cody Clark (guitar, backing vocals and music) – will be releasing their 3rd album on 17th October. So now is, I suppose, the time to start letting a few tasters of what’s to come slip out into cyberspace. The new album has already been allocated its name – American Mythology – and, on the evidence of this lead single, it promises to be something rather special.
Haunted Like Human is the result of a chance meeting between Dale and Cody, in a Nashville coffee shop, back in 2017. An initial conversation led, quickly, to a musical partnership and the duo’s debut album, Ghost Stories, saw light of day in September of that year. Singles, an acclaimed EP (Folklore) and a run of intimate live shows followed, culminating in 2021 in the duo’s sophomore album, Tall Tales & Fables, the album that first drew our attention to this outstanding pairing.
A STRIKING AND ENGAGING VOICE
Since then, Haunted Like Human have worked upon refining their sound and, if Married in Savannah is anything to go by, they’ve achieved that objective. The tone is sweet, sweet country – acoustic guitars, gentle fiddle and plodding bass, all topped off by one of the most striking, impressive and engaging voices that you’ll hear this side of Thanksgiving.
Yes, indeed; Dale Chapman’s voice is something very special. It’s been compared to Florence Welch’s mezzo-soprano, but I think that’s underselling its qualities rather. There’s a pure tone to this voice and nothing, deep, high or mid-range, presents a challenge, allowing the listener to savour the tones and focus upon the storytelling aspect of the song.
…AND A JOLLY GOOD YARN
It’s a good story, too – a tale of growing up to become a person that’s very different to the one that everyone thought they knew. Dale sings of a former friend, with whom wild adventures were once shared, but who’s now lured to the altar by the prospect of financial and emotional security. The music is good-time but Dale’s lyrics are packed with regret, grudges and told-you-so finality as they work towards the song’s payoff line: “What a shame to see a wild thing be tamed.” Grounded in the context of Southern religion, the lyrics offer rich details about the chapel’s blue stained glass and the groom’s – and bride’s – family histories.
Haunted Like Human tell a good story and we’ve got good reason to expect a few more enticing tales before the launch of American Mythology. Married in Savannah is a great start. More, please.
Watch Haunted Like Human perform Run Devil Run – a highlight of the duo’s 2021 album Tall Tales & Fables – live, in a cabin in The Northwoods, Michigan, below:
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Categories: Single Review
