Jess Williamson details upcoming album, A Mile South of Heaven

A Mile South of Heaven will be Williamson's first release on independent label New West Records, and follows her 2023 release Time Ain't Accidental.

"Goodbye to All That" is inspired by Williamson's favourite Joan Didion essay of the same name, as Williamson explains: “Didion’s essay is about leaving New York after eight years and how ‘it’s distinctly possible to stay too long at the fair.’ In my eighth year of living in LA, I felt it was time to leave. I wrote this song as my farewell to LA, but songs are powerful in sneaky ways, and the song itself changed my mind. I realised I wasn't finished with life in LA”

Produced by Shooter Jennings at the Sunset Sound in Hollywood, A Mile South of Heaven was written with traditional country music as the focus. The album incorporates pedal steel, fiddle, and banjo with Williamson taking songwriting inspiration from country legends Lucinda Williams and Guy Clark. Across the songs, she delves into stories that capture both her wins and her losses, all through an indie folk and Americana-toned lens.

“Depending on your outlook, a mile south of heaven may sound sad, or it may sound hopeful,” Williamson explains. “We’re always a mile south of the impossible goals we set for ourselves, and my point is, maybe that’s ok, because a mile is pretty close. It’s about appreciating where we are now, because there is no finish line. There is always more work to be done.”

A Mile South of Heaven artwork

A Mile South of Heaven tracklist

"Goodbye to All That"
"High Heels and Blue Jeans"
"Country Mile"
"A Mile South of Heaven"
"Tracking the Tropics"
"Dark Day in Dallas"
"Hum of the City"
"Texas Time"
"Someone Else’s Horse"
"Legends Die"
"Battle Scar"
"The Gem and Mineral Show"