Justine Vandergrift shares some simple truths for our complex times with her pointed and potent new Americana single Ain’t What It Ain’t — premiering exclusively on Tinnitist.
The second preview single from the Alberta singer-songwriter’s upcoming album Mountain Standard Time, Ain’t What it Ain’t is a spry little number with an old-time bluegrass feel fashioned from interwoven guitar and banjo — and thought-provoking lyrics like that playfully speak to modern-day feelings of disenchantment, disillusionment and suspicion:
“It is what it is, and it ain’t what it ain’t
It’s all smoke and mirrors and pictures you paint
You keep telling lies and they’ll think you’re a saint
But it is what it is, and it ain’t what it ain’t.”
“Writing the song, I imagined an elderly character who has used the saying ‘it is what it is’ as a way of coping with challenges and adversity throughout their life — a farmer whose crop is ruined by bad weather, a factory worker laid off because of a shifting market, a teacher trying to help a student progress in a system that’s not designed for them,” says Justine.
“But at some point the aphorism fails to satisfy — this pensioner has come to a breaking point in their life where resigned acceptance is an inadequate response. They’ve begun to see and understand the greater systems at play in their environment, and to realize that the struggles and suffering they’ve endured are not the collateral damage generated by the cold indifference of the universe, but rather the inevitable results of corporations and institutions saying anything to further their own interests.”
Vandergrift is an Americana singer-songwriter and performer. Her clear, rich voice and finely tuned songcraft show an affinity with the likes of Patty Griffin, Bonnie Raitt and Sarah Harmer, but her own brand of country soul has deeper roots that dig into the hymns and folk songs of her central Alberta youth.
She has released three studio albums to date, revealing a rare and irresistible knack for melody, and her upcoming release Mountain Standard Time (out March 17) represents a deepening of that artistry. Justine is like the old hymns she grew up with — even if you can’t quite put your finger on what makes them genuine and authentic, they are undeniably so.
Hear Ain’t What It Ain’t above, check out more from Justine Vandergrift below, and find her at her website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
