PJ Harding and Noah Cyrus have released their first collaboration ‘Dear August’.
After quietly collaborating for the past year, the duo will release new EP ‘People Don’t Change’ later this year. They decided to work together after co-writing four songs for Cyrus’ 2020 EP ‘The End of Everything’.
‘Dear August’ is a mix of Americana, folk, and classic country.
“Last summer, ‘July’ was really connecting, but it was an incredibly uncertain time,” recalls PJ. “I’m fairly easygoing, but I was deeply anxious about being in Los Angeles with the pandemic getting out of control. I was having lots of discussions with my family about moving back to Australia. We eventually did. ‘Dear August’ was written as a love letter to the future, hoping there’s a light on the other side. We haven’t seen the light, but we’re still looking.”
“It was full circle and funny for us to write ‘Dear August’ after ‘July’,” observes Noah. “I was going through a lot. I suffer from anxiety and depression. We were in this cloud of darkness where it’s very easy to fall into bad habits. July and August 2020 were the hardest parts of quarantine for me. I lost my grandma, and I was looking to the future for hope. The song reminds me you will get to the light at the end of the tunnel. It may not be perfect, but you’ll get there.”
Directed by Matt Earl, the accompanying music video pays homage to ‘The Notebook’ with its letters, classic automobile, and, of course, blue dress. Even though Noah shot her scenes in Southern California and PJ shot his in Australia, it illustrates their chemistry as musical kindred spirits.
Fans can expect more music from the duo soon.