Companion talk influences behind debut LP + watch new "If I Were a Ghost" video

Companion, the project of Fort Collins, CO-based identical twin sisters Sophia and Jo Babb, are releasing their debut album, Second Day of Spring, on May 27. We have the premiere of a new live performance video of album track “If I Were a Ghost,” a gorgeous, poignant folk song with lush harmonies that immediately pulls you into the sisters’ world. Watch it below.

“Jo and I lost our father when we were 13, and in many ways, we lost our mom too,” Sophia says. “She was never the same after he passed. And though we felt empathy for her grief, it was hard to navigate adolescence while also growing up with a grieving, broken mother. After a particularly hard day where the empathy wasn’t coming easily, I started writing in an attempt to understand what it would be like to lose the love of your life & father of your children all at once. Thus came ‘If I Were a Ghost’ — a song about trying to work through grief, loneliness, and longing.”

Sophia and Jo also told us about the influences behind Second Day of Spring, and you can read their list, complete with commentary, and hear previous singles “How Could I Have Known,” “23rd Street,” and “Snowbank,” below.

Companion just began a North American tour supporting Tori Amos, which includes stops in Brooklyn (Kings Theatre on May 11 and 12), Los Angeles (Orpheum Theatre on June 15, 16 and 17) and more. See all of their upcoming dates below.

COMPANION – INFLUENCES BEHIND THEIR DEBUT LP SECOND DAY OF SPRING

Colorado landscapes
We moved to Colorado in 2019 after years of dreaming about living there throughout our teenagerhood. It’s hard not to be inspired by the surroundings of beautiful nature all around us.

Oklahoma springtime
We grew up in a rural area of Oklahoma and have always experienced springtime as a lovely period of life. It’s rainy and lush and warm and there are flowers everywhere—it’s a renewal of mind and spirit after the cold, windy winter. This is a theme that’s seeped into many corners of the record.

Grief
There’s a song for our mother (“If I Were a Ghost”) on the record that is written from her perspective after the loss of her husband/our father. This song encapsulates the longing that coexists so closely with loss.

The Paper Kites
The Paper Kites were our first introduction to indie folk music in early highschool. Their sweet melodies, finger picking and refined lead guitar parts have had a huge influence on our own sound and style through the years.

Courtney Hartman
Without Courtney, this album would not exist. She welcomed us into her home and we recorded in her barn-turned-studio. Her musical taste, personal kindness and wide ranging wisdom had an influence on every part of our album.

Andrew Wyeth paintings
The soft, muted tones of Wyeth’s paintings come to mind when we think of this album’s imagery and feel. “Snow Flurries” and “Christina’s World” are two favorites that speak to us visually.

Farthest Field by Joan Shelley & Daniel Martin Moore
We spent years listening to this record every spring. The intimacy of it heavily inspired our want to feel close and real and present throughout our own record.

Falling in & out of love
The title track (“Second Day of Spring”) was written in the midst of a relationship ending, whereas “Waiting For You” was written right at the beginning of a beautiful relationship. Losing love and finding it again feels present throughout our work.

Songs by Adrianne Lenker
The tenderness of this record still gets us, dozens and dozens of listens in. The honesty of the record, both lyrically and sonically, speaks to us deeply.

Tender friendship
Our friends are our entire world in Fort Collins, CO. We live with or right next to most of our closest pals and have such a deep love for them, one that feels almost familial. “Forfeit” encapsulates the tender friendship we hold so dear.

COMPANION: 2022 TOUR
5/5/22 – Greenville, SC – Peace Center Concert Hall^
5/6/22 – Raleigh, NC – Raleigh Memorial Auditorium^
5/8/22 – Oxon Hill, MD – The Theater at MGM National Harbor^
5/9/22 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia^
5/11/22 – Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theatre^
5/12/22 – Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theatre^
5/14/22 – Boston, MA – Orpheum Theatre^
5/15/22 – Portland, ME – Merrill Auditorium^
5/16/22 – Providence, RI – The Vets^
5/18/22 – Rochester, NY -Kodak Center^
5/19/22 – Toronto, ON – Meridian Hall^
5/21/22 – Columbus, OH – Palace Theatre^
5/22/22 – Cleveland, OH – KeyBank State Theatre^
5/24/22 – Cincinnati, OH – Taft Theatre^
5/25/22 – Chicago, IL – Auditorium Theatre^
5/26/22 – Ann Arbor, MI – Michigan Theater^
5/28/22 – Madison, WI – The Orpheum Theater^
5/29/22 – Milwaukee, WI – Bradley Symphony Center^
5/31/22 – Kansas City, MO – Kansas City Music Hall^
6/2/22 – Denver, CO – Paramount Theatre^
6/5/22 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre^
6/7/22 – Portland, OR – Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall^
6/8/22 – Vancouver, BC – The Centre For Performing Arts^
6/10/22 – Oakland, CA – Paramount Theater^
6/11/22 – San Diego, CA – Balboa Theatre^
6/12/22 – Phoenix, AZ – Orpheum Theatre^
6/15/22 – Los Angeles, CA – The Orpheum Theatre^
6/16/22 – Los Angeles, CA – The Orpheum Theatre^
6/17/22 – Los Angeles, CA – The Orpheum Theatre^
10/01/22 – Oklahoma City, OK – Tower Theatre+

^supporting Tori Amos
+supporting Samantha Crain