Bee Hall (she/her) is a singer songwriter based out of Brooklyn, NY. Born in Alabama, the sounds of classic country, Americana, and southern rock have taken root in her music. Her newest single “Park Song” is a love letter to Prospect Park in Brooklyn and explores queer love and longing. The artist lovingly describes its genre as “country shoegaze.”
With a crooning steel guitar, Hall lovingly paints a portrait of the ambiguities of new love. Her lyrics carefully intertwine natural imagery of Prospect Park with her internal state. Amidst the spacious soundscape, synths recreate muted sirens and subway rumbles, transporting us to the moment of hope, anxiety, and new love found on an early date in a relationship.
Explain the title of your new release.
My new single “Park Song” is about the first person I dated after the pandemic started. We had only been seeing each other for a short time, but I was becoming really infatuated with her. We would meet at Prospect Park in Brooklyn, split a six pack, and just chat. But I’m a very anxious person, and I can be very fatalistic when it comes to overthinking relationships and things like that. So I was processing these feelings, and I wanted to write a song about it. But at the same time I was worried that by writing about it prematurely I just might screw things up. So instead of writing a song about her, I wrote a song about the park instead. And that’s how the song got its name.
Who are some of your musical influences?
Growing up I listened to a lot of emo/punk music and played in a few pop-punk bands in high school and college. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started enjoying a lot more alternative country and Americana musicians as well. I like to think that there’s a pretty significant influence in my music from all sides of my musical preferences. Personal favorite artists include Jason Isbell, Sturgill Simpson, Faye Webster, My Chemical Romance, Coheed and Cambria, Drive By Truckers, and Dr. Dog.
Name a perfect song and tell us why you feel that way.
“God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys. I love that it brings together conventional pop sensibility with really unique arrangements and instrumentation. The lyrics are dead simple but so moving. It’s just perfects, and no matter how many times I hear it it never gets old.
Where are some places you’ve found joy within the country/Americana world?
I grew up in the south, Alabama specifically, and I’ve always had a mixed relationship with southern music. There was definitely a certain amount of otherness that I felt growing up as a queer person in the south, and I think part of me associated southern music with that feeling. But as I grew older and put some miles between myself and my hometown I discovered a newfound appreciation for the music I was raised on. I also love that there’s been a recent reclamation of Country/Roots/Americana music by queer people specifically, and there’s something very cathartic about that.
How do you feel your coming out journey plays into your music?
My journey of self discovery as a trans person had a huge influence on my music and songwriting. I often struggled to find lyrics that resonated with me personally and felt genuine in my songwriting, but transitioning really helped me overcome my own inhibitions and insecurities as a writer. The title track on my debut EP Imaginary Lines is actually a coming out song for my parents. At a time when I was struggling to find the words to explain my situation. Writing that song provided a lot of clarity and reassurance.
Bee Hall — Instagram