Exclusive Video Premiere: ‘Try,’ Escondido

After releasing their debut album The Ghost of Escondido (recorded over a single day in the studio) in 2013, independent Nashville-based duo Escondido will return with their sophomore effort Walking with a Stranger in February. This time around, Tyler James and Jessica Maros spent much more time writing and recording. “We did drums at the same studio, but I ended up making the rest of it in my bedroom,” James says. “It took a while, but I had more time to experiment and try out different ideas,” he continues. “The end result still has the southwestern vibe of our first record but the landscape is a little more complex and aggressive.”

Escondido’s sound is a soothing and successful mixture of alternative indie with very subtle touches of country twang. Here we’re pleased to premiere the video for “Try,” one of Maros’s favorite songs from the album. 

The story of a lost love, “Try” slows down the duo’s sound with a quiet harmony. James and Maros’s eerie voice sing words that most have known to be true at some point: “And I know that my heartache isn’t yours/ I may never get over missing you so long / Try, I’ll try.” Maros continues to explain, “The song is about the beauty and struggles in a partnership. It’s a self portrait, a prayer for peace over leaving a relationship after I knew I gave it my all.”

The video shows James and Maros gracefully floating beneath the surface of a dark, calm body of water, often intertwined and perfectly in sync with the melodies. “We wanted a video that slowed us down and helped us find the beauty in sorrow,” Maros says. “To mourn is to be free. The water represents our earthly barriers. It’s hard to swim in, tough to survive [in], yet harmonious and comforting.” Though she doesn’t revisit every song Escondido produces, “Try” is one to which she often goes back. “I like the way [it] makes me feel,” Maros says. “I love music that helps me dream and when Tyler and I combine our ideas it becomes dreamlike and vivid.” 

FOR MORE ON ESCONDIDO, VISIT THE DUO’S WEBSITE.