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Mar 15, 2021 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Ronan Chris Murphy

Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter James Houlahan’s atmospheric mix of Americana and indie folk has been the backbone of five albums, the latest of which, Ordinary Eye, was released in late 2020. Houlahan describes his latest work as a document of the current moment, borne out of Houlahan’s years on the road watching national rifts grow wider. Even more poignantly, the record was recorded only months before the pandemic, putting the themes into even starker focus. Houlahan has now returned with a new video for his track, “What Is Our Love,” premiering with Under the Radar.

“What Is Our Love” is the sort of thoughtful Americana Houlahan delivers best, wrapping heartfelt melodies and autobiographical confessions in understated, unadorned instrumentation. Houlahan meanders through insular meditations on love and connection, all backed by drummer Danny Frankel (Lou Reed, Fiona Apple) and violinist Scarlet Rivera (Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue). Aside from Houlouhan himself, Rivera’s violin is the clear focal point, offering an expressive melodic counterpoint to Houlahan’s gentle falsetto.

Houlahan says of the track, “‘What Is Our Love’ is a song about navigating the everyday complexities of ordinary existence, and how technology seems to both help and hinder us along the way. And how love and humor are the glue keeping it all together. That said, I didn’t really have a plan for what the song was about as I was writing it. I was just following each line as it came, to see where it would go. I kept coming back to a question—what is our love? Or maybe it’s like Jeopardy, and that’s actually the answer. What is? Our love. No matter how you slice it, we end up coming back to love. If there’s a message to the song, that would be it.”

“Finally, I had the amazing good fortune to have Scarlet Rivera play violin on several songs for Ordinary Eye, and this was one of them. She is an absolute treasure. I’ve long been a fan—Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue is probably my favorite thing ever to happen in the history of music, period. But seeing her play up close was such a thrill. I’ve never seen a violinist play with such grace and power at the same time. So much passion and precision all rolled into one sound. I’m honored to have her beautiful soaring passages on this track. Honored, humbled, and most grateful.” Check out the video below. Ordinary Eye is out now.