It never ceases to annoy me when I stumble upon social media posts that cite someone’s formative years as somehow better than those of their generational neighbors. Some cite the 1960s as the best of times, others claim the ‘70s, and quite a few stake their flags in the ‘80s and ‘90s, with the only commonality being that all the yesteryears are somehow better than now. It’s narcissism-imbued nostalgia, in a sense. If you dig into any of those eras, after all, it’s easy to discern that life was not all peaches-and-cream. The ‘60s were accented by tumult, the ‘70s by inflation, stagflation and malaise, the ‘80s by unemployment and shoulder pads, and the ‘90s by the first cracks in the political-cultural divide that’s since turned into a chasm.
Such thoughts come to me, at least, whenever I play “Old Way,” the leadoff track on the sublime sophomore EP from the Castellows (aka sisters Ellie, Powell and Lily Balkcom). The song reflects the wistful romanticism many of us share for the long-ago, while also embracing, in poetic fashion, a mindfulness approach to the present. Whether one navigated the nascent digital landscape, lived the latchkey life from dusk to dawn and beyond, or survived the mud (and brown acid) at Woodstock, almost everyone remembers their childhoods and teen years as magical times.
But looking back too much, pining for the past, means we miss making new memories, too. As the Castellows sing, “Right here/Right now/I’m barefoot on the front porch/Watching the sun go down/This is gonna be the old way one day/I’m gonna hold that thought in mind/And make the most of what I’ve got/Instead of holding up Father Time.” As Carly Simon once observed, in other words, “these are the good ol’ days,” too.
The seven-track Homecoming, which I’ve enjoyed since its release at the end of May, maintains that high standard throughout its 25 minutes. “Sheltered” delves into the sisters’ cloistered upbringing; “Place They Call Home,” a collaboration with Flatland Cavalry, imagines life from the perspective of Earth; “Freeway” drives down a similar road as “Old Way” before taking a scenic detour; “Broke” steps into the shoes of a miner’s wife; and “Homecoming” hitchhikes through the mind’s eye to the place we call home. As with their wonderful debut, the EP contains one cover—in this case, a touching rendition of the Gretchen Peters-penned “You Don’t Even Know Who I Am,” which was a hit for Patty Loveless in 1995.
Throughout, the sisters remind me of the Chicks before they stripped “Dixie” from their name—and, though they mine a different musical terrain, the Staves, whose sisterly harmonies also sound like those of angels. Theirs is an acoustic-first country music that’s simultaneously retro and modern. Homecoming is a great set.
(The EP can be streamed from usual suspects. The Castellows are also embarking on a headlining tour this fall.)
The Old Grey Cat 
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