Exclusive Premiere: Anna & Elizabeth, ‘Little Black Train’

Comprised of multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Anna Roberts-Gevalt and beloved Appalachian ballad singer Elizabeth LaPrelle, Anna & Elizabeth are still in celebration mode for the release of their new, self-titled album. Today (May 19), Diffuser is ecstatic to partner with the duo to debut their official music video for “Little Black Train” -- check it out above.

“This song is a warning, learned from the playing of Virginia banjo player Dock Boggs,” the duo tells us. “Singing it is a visceral experience, singing so close, so loud -- the notes can feel like they’re hitting each other. The guitar has a life of its own, banging like the impending train. In performance and in the studio, we’ve never done it the same way twice, leaving room for the feeling of the moment to creep in.”

Created with the help of Emma Snope and Nadia Marti, the visuals for “Little Black Train” beautifully capture those sentiments. “We shot the video in a big dark room, on the Warren Wilson College campus, on a winter night,” Anna & Elizabeth explain. “When the taping was done, we looked outside and the world -- and our car -- was covered in an inch of solid ice, stranding us in for the night.”

Anna & Elizabeth’s new record is a collection of 16 traditional songs that have been reimagined and interpreted by the pair; much like “Little Black Train,” each song represents an “intense personal connection” between the music and the artists. You can pick up Anna & Elizabeth via Free Dirt Records here, and make sure to stay up-to-date with them at their official website.