“We Could Be” (single) by Potters’ Daughter

Minimalistic in its prowl and yet tonally aggressive when and where it counts for something. Vocally-driven when verses are accounting for passion, instrumentally-focused in instances where words simply won’t suffice.

Official Website: https://pottersdaughterband.com/

“We Could Be” is, on the surface, a frustratingly flexible piece of music for a critic like myself. It has a contradictive construction that makes it feel as though we’re slipping into darkness, moving in reverse if you will, while its lyrics beg for us to look ahead, to be better, and ultimately, to be strong amidst a smothering sonic backdrop. If the sum of good music is a song that makes you feel something with its words and tune the same, I would have to say that Potter’s Daughter’s new single is something listeners really need to hear right now. 

As a visual document, the music video for “We Could Be” is something that we haven’t seen much of from the jazz community in its blunt, unapologetic support for Black Lives Matter, and no matter where you stand on political issues, it’s inarguably a landmark moment for the indie players who give it life. In their message and the means through which they deliver it to us, they’re fierce and not backing down from the complexity of the moment, which is a lot more than can be said for many of their mainstream counterparts. 

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/casually-containing-rage-single/1529806287?i=1529806290&ign-gact=3&ls=1

Although it’s far from the lone release I’ve heard in 2020 to take on this issue and win credibility with critics like myself, I will say that Potter’s Daughter’s “We Could Be” feels like one of the more creative and compelling single/video combos of its kind that you’re going to hear or see before the year is over. As a music aficionado I’m intrigued by its ultra-provocative sway, while as a fan poetry I find its verses to be as cerebral and genuine as they should be in this era. 

Zachary Rush