Kashus Culpepper Works With Foy Vance, Hints at Faith in Mysterious ‘Believe’: ‘It’s a Collection of Thoughts’

“Sometimes your enemies/Come successful the signifier of a friend.”

Much of the caller Kashus Culpepper azygous — “Believe,” which Big Loud released to vigor connected Sept. 3 via PlayMPE — is menacing. What the atrocious worldly is, isn’t needfully clear. A cause deal, a robbery, pack activity, a lie, a murder? Cases could beryllium made for each of those scenarios — oregon nary of them — it doesn’t peculiarly matter. But “Believe” astir surely hints astatine betrayal, similar Townes Van Zandt’s “Pancho and Lefty,” though alternatively of Mexico, it’s formed successful the Southern United States, judging from its swampy philharmonic code and Culpepper’s Alabama roots. It’s steeped successful enigma and astir apt champion near that way.

“I wouldn’t accidental it was a full, cohesive story,” Culpepper explains. “It’s a postulation of thoughts, particularly the verses. You know, conscionable these random thoughts that I’ve got successful my head.”

He had plentifulness of clip to propulsion those thoughts together. Culpepper was booked for a co-write with writer-artist Foy Vance astatine Anderson East’s spot successful East Nashville successful January 2024. It snowed, and snowed immoderate more, yet dumping much than seven inches. Nashville isn’t equipped to grip adjacent a dusting, truthful arsenic the streets got slicker, they had inducement to bent retired awhile, particularly erstwhile they clicked arsenic penning partners.

“I similar moving with kids similar him,” Vance says. “He’s inactive a young kid, but he’s seen war, he’s been distant from home, he’s had hardship, he’s slept rough, he’s traveled. Not everyone astatine his property is that switched-on successful a bosom level. So I met with him and liked him immediately.”

As they shared their stories, immoderate of Culpepper’s hard-knock experiences began to coalesce into a foreboding archetypal verse astir nightmares and phony people, closing with the notation to enemies presented “in the signifier of a friend.”

“Growing up, a batch of times my pastor would accidental worldly similar that,” Culpepper recalls. “Sometimes the closest radical astir you volition wounded you, oregon sometimes the enemies bash travel successful the signifier of a friend. And it does dependable similar I’m benignant of preaching.”

Vance, arsenic Culpepper remembers it, took a spot astatine the soft and began moving done antithetic sonic paths, though helium whitethorn person begun connected guitar. He yet settled connected a progression for that opening verse that started connected a insignificant chord. It added to the consciousness of information successful the lyrics.

“That’s the amusive spot wherever you’re benignant of Jackson Pollock-ing the full thing,” Vance notes. “You conscionable propulsion crap astir the spot and spot what happens.”

At the chorus, Vance threw a large wrench successful the proceedings. Or, to beryllium specific, a large chord. It’s the aforesaid basal chord arsenic the opening triad that launches “Believe,” but the halfway enactment is simply a half-step higher. That 1 subtle alteration flips the rainy insignificant dependable into a agleam ray of positivity.

“That small alteration conscionable uplifts it,” Culpepper notes. “It’s astir like, ‘Oh, we’re going to beryllium better.’ ”

Sure enough, angels “all travel around” during that chorus, and the vocalist hangs connected to the cognition that with their help, helium tin look the acheronian —maybe adjacent go a amended soul. “That’s what I believe,” helium announces successful the chorus’ payoff line.

Verse 2 brings much danger, successful the signifier of bloodshed, fearfulness and hints of a chase. He needs those an...