Inside The One That Got Away: The fragile truce of The Civil Wars

“We just happened to be in a bit of a civil war ourselves.”

That is how Joy Williams, one half of The Civil Wars, described the conditions under which the eponymous second – and rumoured last – studio album was created to the Associated Press.

John Paul White has opted to remain silent. He certainly has that choice.

“John Paul and I aren’t speaking right now but to me that doesn’t determine the outcome of the band because if we’re not speaking we can’t determine the outcome of the band at this moment,” says Joy. “So the other elephant in the room is what’s happening with the band? The reality is I’m not even quite sure.”

Their grammy-winning first album was produced by Charlie Peacock. He’s also on board for this second album. “Honestly, me connecting the lyrics to the situation happened over time and not immediately,” he tells NPR. The bulk of the second album was done before the Civil Wars left for Europe, a tour that was never completed. ” I never had any sense that they were anything but respectful as co-creators, and from my perspective, really at the top of their game. Inside the process, I think they were both all about the art and nothing else.”

In music, bands break up. It is the nature of the beast. But for duos, the fact that it’s only two people can make things really hard. It does end up feeling like a divorce, one in which somehow the fans should remain neutral. There couldn’t – and there won’t – be The Civil Wars without both Joy and JP. It comes down to the point of the rupture feeling so meta, that some critics have gone to the length of imagining it as a marketing ploy. No such thing.

A behind the scenes video claims to reveal some of the tension that existed between the two performers. For the most part, it just seems to illustrate they prefer to speak alone.

Watch on YouTube

The new album, The Civil Wars, comes out August 6, under the 1504 Pictures production company and major label partner Columbia Pictures.

Producer Charlie Peacock believes they are both meant to create great music, even if they are no longer a duo. “That said, my number one hope is forgiveness and reconciliation for the two of them,” he says. “One of the most satisfying and uniquely human actions is the ability to forgive and receive forgiveness.”

You can read the original article on NPR.

Coming up on the Calendar!

• July 19 & 20: The Red Tour at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On sale now. More information on Ticketmaster.
• July 26 and 27: The Red Tour at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. On sale now. More information on Ticketmaster.
• Aug. 1: The Red Tour at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. On sale now. Ticket information here.
• Aug. 2 and 3: The Red Tour at Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri. On sale now. More information on AXS.com.
• Aug 6: The Civil Wars release their eponymous second album, The Civil Wars.

(Sources: Associated Press, NPR)