Vulnerable Yet Strong, August Lee Stevens Envisions ‘Better Places’ by KQED’s Pendarvis Harshaw

3/28/24 Release Date - So excited for the release, this was a blast to record! I performed trumpet on the single

“In My Head” — have a listen, available on all streaming platforms!

Here is the full KQED article by Pendarvis Harshaw!

August Lee Stevens’ new EP, ‘Better Places,’ drops April 5. ‘A lot of the songs that I write are usually me processing different things I’ve gone through, different emotions that I’ve gone through,’ she says.

[Stevens wrote Better Places over the span of a few years. Its single, “In My Head,” is built around a simple, soulful arrangement that starts slow and builds, allowing Stevens to show off her tonal range and long vocal riffs.

Over keys, a smooth drum pattern, a jazzy xylophone and a strong-sounding horn, Stevens sings: “I wish you could see all the beauty that’s left to be found, and what this could be / But we’re fighting with every doubt, so don’t let it be all in my head.” (Stevens says the track was initially inspired by her dog Clyde, a Rhodesian Ridgeback who comes to her shows. “I want him to be famous,” Stevens says.)] — Pendarvis Harshaw, 3/18/24, KQED Arts and Culture

Congratulations August!