A second foretaste of American Mythology – the forthcoming album from Nashville duo Haunted Like Human. Gentle guitar, dreamy vocals and more challenging, intriguing, lyrics. American Mythology is shaping up to be something very, very special

Release Date: 25th July 2025

Label: Self Release

Formats: Digital

ANOTHER APPETISING MORSEL

Just last month, we waxed lyrical within these pages over Married in Savannah, the lead single from American Mythology, the forthcoming album by Nashville folk duo, Haunted Like Human. Things that enthused us included the clarity of lead vocalist Dale Chapman’s voice and the emotion and detail of his lyrics. We also predicted that there would be more foretastes of American Mythology coming our way before too long an we were right – Family Name, single #2, is here already and it’s another appetising morsel.

To recap: Haunted Like Human is the result of a chance meeting between Dale Chapman (lead vocals and lyrics) and Cody Clark (guitar, backing vocals and music), 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.

PRESSURE TO CONFORM

For Family Name, Dale and Cody are joined by Byron House (bass), Paul Eckberg (percussion), Charlie Lowell (keyboards) and Cara Fox (cello) and the sound that ensemble create together can only be described as “pristine.” Family Name is a winsome folk song that, with lines like “There on the porch that your grandfather built, singing songs that his grandmother sang; there’s a creak in the stairs and it sounds like the family name,” comments, albeit obliquely, on the pressure to conform to tradition. “The song holds the weight of everything it means to carry the family name and all of the unseen things that are tucked into it,” says lyricist Dale. “And it also begs the question of what we will do with that birthright and the life that we build for ourselves with it.”

PURE TONES

Cody’s fingerpicked guitar is sweetened by Cara’s rich cello tones and Dale’s voice is as clear as ever. We’ve commented previously on the pure tones that are delivered and the comfort and control that Dale displays, whether those tones are deep, high or mid-range. Family Name provides another opportunity for those skills to be exercised and, when Cody adds harmonies during the song’s three choruses, the effect is almost overwhelming.

I strongly suspect that there’ll be more tasters to come before American Mythology finally arrives with us. On the evidence we’ve heard so far, American Mythology is shaping up to be something very, very special indeed.

Listen to Married In Savannah – the lead single from American Mythology – the forthcoming album from Haunted Like Human – below:

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