The Imaginaries keep it real on their new single and video Little By Little, the first preview of their just-announced new album Fever — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
The husband-and-wife Americana duo of Maggie McClure and Shane Henry introduce their sophomore album — due Aug. 22 — with a rootsy and romantic duet that celebrates the commitment, resilience and trust found at the heart of any long-term relationship. As their voices join in tender, sweet harmony over a smouldering country-leaning cut flecked with banjo and steel guitar, the lyrics look beyond current hardships to a brighter future:
“Another day has come and gone
This uphill grind we’ve been in it
It’s hard to sleep on the road we’re on
Feels like we’re just spinnin’
Oh around and ’round but we can’t stop now
Little by little and inch by inch we’re gonna make it, we’re gonna take it
Over the edge and all the way
Little by little and inch by inch we’re never giving up, gonna ride the wave
You and me baby gonna get there someday.”
The fresh single gives fans a taste of what’s to come on Fever, a bold, soul-stirring album filled with gritty blues-rock riffs, shimmering pop-Americana melodies, and a spirit of defiant hope. Little By Little encapsulates the couple’s shared journey as life partners and musical collaborators, with rich vocal interlace and lyrics that speak to staying the course despite uncertainty.
“This new album is about being on the other side of struggle,” Maggie shares. “It’s about breakthrough — not that we have it all figured out!” Shane adds, “There are a lot of hopeful stories on this album. We want to put smiles on people’s faces.”
The 12-track collection, recorded in the legendary musical haven of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, features dazzling guest guitar solos from Vince Gill, Joe Bonamassa and Ariel Posen, and showcases the full spectrum of the Oklahoma duo’s talents. With Maggie’s intimate lyricism and piano-led storytelling paired with Shane’s electrifying guitar work and blues-rooted swagger, The Imaginaries strike a rare balance between vulnerability and power — drawing on influences from Tom Petty, Bonnie Raitt, Fleetwood Mac and The Civil Wars while building a sound uniquely their own.
Their path to this moment has been anything but conventional. Maggie and Shane met when she opened for him at a show in Oklahoma. They fell in love, married in 2011, and moved to Los Angeles, where they shared a tiny apartment while pursuing their solo careers. It was during that lean season — marked by scrappy gigs, late nights and big dreams — that the idea for The Imaginaries was born. The name came to Shane in a dream, offering a beacon of creative ambition in the middle of hard times.
Their debut self-titled album established the foundation, but Fever is their defining artistic statement. Returning to Muscle Shoals — a place they now consider sacred ground — they recorded with a powerhouse lineup that includes first and second-generation Swampers, whose resumes span icons like Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Paul Simon, Gregg Allman, Jason Isbell and more. That rich musical lineage threads throughout Fever, grounding its personal stories in a timeless sonic tradition.
Outside the studio, The Imaginaries have quietly built one of the most impressive independent portfolios in Americana today. With 75+ sync placements in film, TV, and ads, they wrote/produced the soundtrack for and starred in the film A Cowgirl’s Song, performedin the Dennis Quaid biopic Reagan, have two songs featured in Netflix’s Mending the Line, and contributed multiple original tracks to the forthcoming film The One, in which they also perform on camera. Maggie is also an accomplished music supervisor, while Shane co-founded guitar pedal company Westerlund Audio — ventures that help sustain their creative freedom and vision.
Over the years, they’ve shared stages with Judy Collins, John Waite, Sixpence None The Richer and more, and were hand-picked to open for the Brian Setzer Orchestra Christmas Tour before the pandemic halted plans. Their music and story have been spotlighted in multiple outlets.
To celebrate the release of Fever, they will hit the road for a full slate of summer and fall tour dates. Watch the video for Little By Little above, hear more from The Imaginaries below, and get real on their website, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
The Imaginaries | Wheels to the Pavement Tour Dates
May 31 | Stockyards Rodeo Cinema | Oklahoma City, OK*
June 7 | Texas Music Revolution | McKinney, TX
June 13 | deadCenter Film Festival 2025 | Oklahoma City, OK
June 21 | Heard on Hurd | Edmond, OK
July 3 | Kimbro’s Pickin’ Parlor | Franklin, TN
July 5 | Gray’s on Main | Franklin, TN
July 12 | The Mystic Pub | Jenks, OK
July 26 | Abendigo’s | Hochatown, OK
Aug. 18 | High Plains Public Radio (Live Stream) | Amarillo, TX^
Aug. 22 | Album Release Show @ Hotel Café | Hollywood, CA
Aug. 29 | Jim and Linda Lee Performing Arts Center | Prescott, AZ
Aug. 31 | The Lion’s Den | Pinetop-Lakeside, AZ
Sept. 2 | Stone Cottage Studios | Boulder, CO
Sept. 5 | Hometown Release Show @ Beam Live | Oklahoma City, OK
Sept. 6 | The Colony | Tulsa, OK
Sept. 11 | Kimbro’s Pickin’ Parlor | Franklin, TN
Sept. 25 | Oklahoma’s Listening Room | Cushing, OK
Oct. 3 | Firehouse Gastro Park | Grand Prairie, TX
Oct. 4 | The Cicada (w/ The Vintage Yell) | Fort Worth, TX
*Bob Dylan tribute event
^Special live stream performance
