Singles Spotlight:
Molly Brandt –
“The Gloom”

Hello reader,

Welcome back to SWT, or welcome if this is your first time. Stick around a while and check out the site after you finish this Spotlight.

Today, I’m excited to discuss another singer-songwriter making some great music: Molly Brandt. The self-described Americana/country singer based in the Twin Cities, Minnesota, has two albums under her name, 2023’s Surrender to the Night and American Saga (2024). We dig both, and you will too. Brandt is earning more recognition for herself in the Midwest, having won the Americana Artist of the Year for both 2023 and 2024, which is given out by the Midwest Country Music Organization Awards, and Brandt is also the Winner of Collaboration of the Year at the 2024 and 2025 Midwest Country Music Organization Awards, as well as being nominated in several other categories. In my opinion, Brandt is well deserving of the increasing fandom she’s about to receive from our great SWT listeners and readers.

Her site bio states the following about Brandt’s musical past and present, “She came to songwriting during the pandemic, picking up a guitar after years of classical piano, show choirs, and fronting her own jazz band. When she found her way to roots music, everything clicked. Since releasing her first singles in 2022, she’s performed across the Midwest and beyond at festivals including Blue Ox, Big Turn, Rochester Thaw, Boogiedown, and Boats & Bluegrass. Her debut Surrender to the Night (2023) wove honky-tonk, countrypolitan and alt-rock through blue-collar stories of struggle, revelry and revenge. American Saga (2024) pushed the musical envelope by incorporating disco, blues, bluegrass and psychedelia elements—earning radio play across the U.S. and a song placement on Netflix’s The Hunting Wives. Her third album, Museum of Being (June 12, 2026), is her most ambitious and experimental yet: synth-heavy psychedelia and electric beats joining soaring pedal steel and two-stepping country to explore memory, nostalgia and history—both personal and collective. Whether playing as a duo or trio or with her full seven-piece band, Brandt puts on an unforgettable show. On stage, she commands attention with her signature fashion; powerful, expressive vocals; and down-to-earth, funny and fearless personality.” Sold, a few times over. How about you?

Delving deeper into “The Gloom” with Brandt, who told us the following: “It is a song largely inspired by a book I read last year called ‘The Worst Hard Time, ‘ which is a nonfiction book that goes through stories and struggles of individuals who lived through the Dust Bowl. The language in the book was beautiful, and I took a lot of great phrases, words, and ideas from it. I also was inspired by quotes from Ken Burns documentaries, especially the ones on Prohibition and the Dust Bowl. I also take meaning from this song in that I feel we are facing similar circumstances in the modern day – the threat of man-made climate change and ecological disaster threatening the life we know. Sometimes it feels like there is a “gloom” over everything in the world, but as the song goes, ‘don’t let it erase all of you’. And so this song is somewhat of an ‘exhibit’ within the larger ‘museum of being’.”

A couple of months ago, I was fortunate enough to hear a few singles off Brandt’s upcoming album. Museum of Being, which comes out Friday, June 12th. If you get it on CD, it comes with a 24-page booklet. Music fans of a certain age rejoice! A CD with original artwork in 2026! And the song that I think is the best introduction of Brandt to anyone, whether they’re an SWT reader or not, is “The Gloom”. It stuck with me upon first listen and never let go. The melody is ethereal and bone-chilling from the start. Kudos on that. And then you hear Brandt’s vocals. They captivate the attention of your ears and soften your stance as you listen to the well-crafted lyrics. About 1/4 of the way into the song, the melodic switch occurs. Purposefully desperate vocal tones, chorus, and synth are paired. Quite a contrast from the opening of the song, but it fits and works.

Take a listen for yourself to “The Gloom” via a link from Brandt’s Bandcamp page. Let us know what you think after:

The cover art for Museum of Being:

The track list for Museum of Being:

1. Museum of Being [4:53]
2. The Library [4:13]
3. One Helluva Country [4:29]
4. Do You Possess an Iron Will? [3:59]
5. Saint Paul #1 [3:27]
6. Codfish Hollow [5:49]
7. The Passing of Time (is Cruel And Unforgiving) [5:28]
8. Saint Paul #2 (Front Yard) [4:51]
9. The Gloom [5:04]
10. The Marmalade of Shenandoah [3:57]
11. Grizzly Rose [4:32]
12. Crystalline Vision, Memento Reverie [4:07]

Alex M Theel

Co-Founder, Reviewer, Content Creator, Business side, Editor at Scummy Water Tower Productions | Web

Scummy Water Tower Productions co-founder, reviewer, business manager, and editor. Thank you for visiting this site, scummywatertower.com, and YouTube for Water Tower Sessions and SWT Interviews. And all of our socials.
Questions, feedback, or more? Contact me: alex@scummywatertower.com