Country Queer Exclusive

ASHLEY VIRGINIA

WARNS AGAINST NIHILISM ON

“APATHY BLUES”

by Rachel Cholst, Senior Editor

Editors’ Note: this is the first article in ‘Invisible Burdens,’ our new series of articles that focus on the intersections of mental health, queerness, and the country music community. Read more about it in our recent announcement post. -Ed.

It’s easy to feel dispirited by the conditions of the world at this point. In fact, if you aren’t, it’s because you’re on a different plane of reality. But in “Apathy Blues,” North Carolina-based experimental folk artist Ashley Virginia reminds us that nihilism only allows the status quo to win.

Chugging along with a ‘60s groove, Virginia and her band strategically bend strings to remind us that something in this song’s focus is off-kilter. As Virginia’s husky voice shepherds us into the song, it’s impossible not to feel comforted, even as she rattles off the injustices of our present day.