The Palouse, a charming new EP by Seattle’s Nessa Grasing, is a homespun portrait of the strangeness inherent with spending your twenties in a van with a touring band. Her song “Omaha” dives deep there, detailing the real-life trials of traffic, trepidation, and tendonitis. But also, more importantly, the reminder that it’s all worth it.
“Omaha was the last city that my other band, Scarves, played on our 2018 tour,” Grasing explains. “After hitting traffic in Chicago and embroidering in the van for far too long, I found myself with searing wrist pain — and that’s where this song begins. It’s wondering: how far should you go for art? What happens if you don’t go anywhere at all?”
Nessa Grasing is now based in Seattle, after spending her years at SUNY Purchase opening for bands like Mitski, Japanese Breakfast, and Jeffrey Lewis. She joined Scarves as a lead guitarist and backup vocalist and has worked with bandleader Nikolas Stathakopoulos to co-write the albums Dinner Dates for the End of Days, Delicate Creatures, and the band’s upcoming album. Her EP The Palouse draws on biblical tales and decay in the West.
The Palouse will be released on June 13, 2024.