Rising singer-songwriter Carlie Hanson returns with “608,” a brand-new single about her roots via Warner Records. Named after the town of Onalaska, Wisconsin from which she hails, the ethereal track explores Hanson’s complicated yet utterly relatable relationship with her old stomping ground. “608” is the 22-year-old’s first release since dropping her critically acclaimed debut album, Tough Boy, in February. Watch the wistful video now below.
Weaving tones and textures amid rhythmic guitar plucking, Hanson paints a hazy portrait of longing. “Green eyes match the hillside, snow falls when your tears dry,” she sings over minimal production. “Summertime ain’t a longtime, I’mma meet you on the northside.” Intimate details of home crystallize as the song progresses: “Passenger seat of my boyfriend’s car, windshield too cracked I can’t see.” “608” manages to be sweet, sad, and full of wisdom despite her age.
Hanson says the song is about leaving home at 17 to move to Los Angeles — a city that still doesn’t feel like home. “Every day, I reminisce about the past,” she reveals, “imagining what it would be like to sit in the passenger seat of my best friend’s car in the middle of winter.” Despite her blossoming career, the hitmaker knows where her heart lies. “No matter how successful I become, no matter how much money I have, I’m still very much the same girl from small-town Wisconsin that I’ve always been.”