Singled Out: American Blonde's Undertaker

American Blonde just released their new EP "Delta Home" and to celebrate we asked lead singer-songwriter/acoustic guitarist Natalia Morris to tell us about the song "Undertaker". Here is the story:

"Have you ever been in a position where you've given someone chance after chance to be better, only to watch them fall right back into their old ways? Then one day, you wake up and realize you just don't care anymore. My co-writer, Jimmy Nash, and I wrote "Undertaker" as a way to capture that exact feeling: the moment you finally cut those ties, lay those feelings to rest, and move on. I've heard one too many stories of cheaters being forgiven over and over, co-workers continually letting people down, or friends and peers using condescending words to tear someone down. Eventually, something changes. You stop fighting to maintain a relationship that has already taken too much from you. "Undertaker" is about what comes after that realization: the freedom, power, and almost rebellious energy of finally burying what no longer deserves a place in your life.

When I first shared the song with the rest of the band and our producer Lincoln Parish (co-founding member of Cage the Elephant), they absolutely freaked out. We had so much fun building the song during pre-production, but the real magic started once we began live tracking in the studio. After laying down the foundation, we were able to really experiment - adding electric guitar parts, extra percussion, and lap steel played by Kelby Caldwell. One of my favorite moments came when it was time for the lead guitar solo. Our guitar player, Pete Horne, hadn't written one yet, so Lincoln simply handed him a guitar and said, "Play from the heart." The very first solo Pete played had everyone's jaw on the floor. It was one of those spontaneous studio moments you could never plan, and it ended up becoming such a defining part of the song.

But "Undertaker" still wasn't finished growing. Shortly after we recorded the vocals, my sister Tinka, drummer for AB, excitedly asked, "What if we went back to our hometown and recorded a choir to make it even bigger?" Lincoln immediately loved the idea. It felt especially fitting for this song, and for this entire chapter of American Blonde, to bring another piece of it back home to the Mississippi Delta.

We returned to our hometown of Cleveland, MS and had the opportunity to record the Delta State Vocal Collective, along with students from the Delta Music Institute, inside Studio A at Delta State University. Hearing those voices come to life on the track was one of those moments where the song suddenly became even bigger than we had imagined. The choir brought an incredible sense of power, urgency, and desperation that "Undertaker" needed, while also giving us the chance to make new memories in the place that helped shape us as musicians. Sharing that experience with our producer, Lincoln, our engineer, Jordan Logue, and the students involved made the recording process even more special.

At its core, "Undertaker" is a rocker about finally reaching your limit. There's anger in it, there's attitude in it, but more than anything, there's freedom. It's that moment when you stop begging something to change, stop giving out chances, and decide to bury it once and for all. We wanted the music itself to feel like that release: big guitars, pounding drums, a screaming choir, and all. To us, "Undertaker" sounds like finally being done...and realizing just how good it feels to walk away."

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more here

Hear American Blonde's 'Delta Home'

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