Americana award-winning artist Nathaniel Rateliff has shared two new songs taken from the original soundtrack for Lovers, the feature-length debut of writer/director Taylor McFadden. “Tommy’s Song,” an original track written for the film, and Rateliff’s cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “My Hometown” are available now. The film, executively produced by Rateliff, will release digitally worldwide on Apple TV and Amazon March 20 via the newly launched distribution arm of I Play Different.
usic plays a vital emotional role in the film, named a “love letter to Denver” by Colorado Public Radio. Lovers stars Angela Trimbur (Search Party, The Future) alongside breakout performer Amelia Meath, the frontwoman of GRAMMY-nominated electronic pop duo Sylvan Esso—it also features music by John Prine, Hannah Cohen, Damien Jurado and more. The original score is composed by Justin Craig (Tony-nominated, Stereophonic, Hedwig and The Angry Inch). Upon its sold-out premiere at the Sarasota Film Festival, IndieWire lauded, “Attendees of the festival are still thinking the most about the extraordinary performance Denver-based artist Nathaniel Rateliff gave following the screening of Taylor McFadden’s “Lovers” as the closing night selection.”
The Denver Gazette praises, “McFadden set out to do the nearly impossible: To write, direct and complete a film with enormous emotional depth as a first-time female director. She directed it. And she saw it all through.”
On his original song, Rateliff shares, ‘“Tommy’s Song” is written specifically for the film, in the perspective of the character who passed away. I wanted to explore what it feels like to struggle with mental health, to write a song from that point of view.”
Lovers also features “My Hometown,” a deeply personal inclusion. “’My Hometown’ is a song my wife Taylor loves and wanted to be a part of the film,” Rateliff continues, “on a day off from tour, without her knowing, I drove to Eau Claire, Wisconsin and recorded the song at April Base with Brad Cook. I am so proud that it is a part of Lovers.”
A moving exploration of grief, memory, and the ties that bind us, Lovers follows Ash, an aspiring writer in New York City who returns to her hometown after learning that a mutual friend and former lover has died by suicide. Back with her best friend and a close circle of old friends, she grapples with loss, loneliness, and the pull of her past while rediscovering the healing power of community, music, and human connection. Shot largely in a beloved dive bar/music venue, Lovers is a heartfelt story about confronting loss, reconnecting with chosen family, and opening one’s heart to love again.
The indie drama also features Benedict Samuel (Gotham, Walking Dead), David Gborie (Royal Crackers), Frances Li (Fleishman Is In Trouble), and Julia Campbel (Romy and Michele’s High school Reunion).
