Alan Sparhawk – “Not Broken” (Feat. Trampled By Turtles)

It means something for Alan Sparhawk to have a song called “Not Broken.” In 2022, Sparhawk lost his wife and Low bandmate Mimi Parker to cancer, and that’s the sort of thing that would break most of us. Sparhawk has taken on the heavy, beautiful task of honoring Parker’s legacy in public, through art. Last year, Sparhawk released his solo debut White Roses, My God, which processes mourning through electronic beats and heavy vocal filters. Later this month, Sparhawk will release a very different solo album — one that he recorded with the progressive bluegrass group Trampled By Turtles.

Low and Trampled By Turtles both come from the small city of Duluth, Minnesota. They never sounded remotely alike, but Low served as mentor figures for Trampled By Turtles early on. After Parker passed away, Sparhawk joined Trampled By Turtles at a number of live shows. On the album literally titled With Trampled By Turtles, the group stands in as Sparhawk’s backing band, giving a rustic folk sensibility to Sparhawk’s spacious, emotive songs. We’ve already posted lead single “Stranger,” and now Sparhawk has also shared the new song “Not Broken,” which also has vocals from Sparhawk’s daughter Hollis.

On “Not Broken,” Sparhawk as his daughter sing over Trampled By Turtles’ hushed, ornate folk. Hollis sounds uncannily like Mimi Parker, and the counterpoint of those two verses recalls Low in some intensely evocative ways. It’s enough to leave a lump in your throat. Below, watch director Alexa Viscius’ stark black-and-white video for “Not Broken.”

With Trampled By Turtles is out 5/30 on Sub Pop. Read our recent feature on Alan Sparhawk here.