[NO COUNTRY PREMIERE] Touma Feels Haunted by the Ghost of Loss in New Single and Video, “Overture”

A No Country favorite since first catching our ear many years ago, indie project Touma is the musical vessel of talented local artist Casey Williams (who you might also recognize from stellar indie/emo outfit No Dancing, among other projects). Though her musical journey has been lifelong, and she’s been a fixture in the Nashville scene for nearly a decade, having performed under the Touma moniker for awhile before releasing any recorded material, Williams formally debuted Touma back in 2019 with earnest and melancholy single “Bodyguard,” followed up with more upbeat and indie/electro-pop infused “Fading Out (Epilogue)” in 2020, before dialing it back with deeply personal, Julian Baker-esque single “Loneliness” the following year.

Most recently, Touma made her long-awaited return with an upbeat and emotionally resonant new single and animated video, “Lost, Found,” which we premiered back in the spring. And as we told you at the time, that tune marked the first single from a forthcoming EP, expected to arrive sometime in the next several months. Today, Williams drops the second second from that as-yet-unnamed EP, “Overture,” and, once again, we’re thrilled to bring you a premiere of the official music video!

“This one means a lot to me, as it’s one of the first songs I’ve recorded and instantly thought ‘wow, that really sounds like me,'” Williams tells us. “I feel like that’s a rare feeling to get right after you create something – but thankfully with this one, it was incredibly present throughout.” On the meaning behind the track, she explains, “[‘Overture’ is] a story about losing someone important to you and being haunted by the ghost of that loss; as well as every positive or negative memory that comes along with it. There’s a duality to it, for sure… of hope/grief, joy/pain, and the act of remembering while simultaneously wanting to forget. The video, conceived and directed by my brilliant friend Nick Swift, really seeks to capture the beauty and chaos of that duality – and features the dancing/acting performance of McKay House, who’s an absolute performance powerhouse.”

Shot entirely on Super 8 and 16mm film by Nick Swift, the video for “Overture” is grainy, tactile, and nostalgic in aesthetic, and its gorgeous and experimental vibe, and the expressive movement of star McKay House (Williams herself opted not to appear in the spot), all wonderfully pair with the song’s hypnotizing, self-reflective, and melancholy ethos. Produced by Thad Kopec and mixed and mastered by Josh Lovell, “Overture” features horns by Corin Dubie (“without his performance at the end of the song, I don’t think I’d love it near as much as I do,” Casey tells us), and lands as the type of slower, lush, emotional gut-punch Touma crafts so expertly, which, when compared to the more upbeat and propulsive “Lost, Found,” gives us an idea of the kind of musical and thematic range to expect of her highly-anticipated EP.

Watch Touma’s official video for “Overture” below, and stream the song now on all platforms!