How Wednesday’s Karly Hartzman Channeled Southern Conservatism, Her In-Band Romance and Screaming Into the Year’s Buzziest Indie Album
William Earl Wednesday’s genre-bashing fifth album, “Rat Saw God,” demands immediate attention. The Asheville-based quintet is fronted by powerhouse singer and guitarist Karly Hartzman, who spins vivid portraits of mundane American life (one gorgeous example, from “Quarry”: “Old bitter lady sits catty-corner to the aftershock from the quarry / She says, ‘America’s a spoiled child that’s ignorant of grief’ / But then she gives out full-size candy bars on Halloween”). Meanwhile, guitarist MJ “Jake” Lenderman and lap steel player Xandy Chelmis create a lush, shoegazey bed for the group’s songs, which thrum along with bassist Margo Schultz and drummer Alan Miller’s precise playing. Ahead of the band’s sold-out show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on June 20, Variety spoke with Hartzman about how her unconventional upbringing brings a specificity to her lyrics, writing with Lenderman, her bandmate and boyfriend, and early plans for their next album.