South of Here" may refer to a physical place—Hermann, Missouri, to be specific—but it also occupies a space in Nathaniel Rateliff's mind.
"I grew up in Missouri, which the Mason-Dixon line runs through," Rateliff explains. "So, you know, it's the Midwest, but it's also a bit of the South." Located on the banks of the Missouri River 80 miles west of St. Louis, it's the rural city that Rateliff, at age 18, and bassist Joseph Pope III, left in 1998, moving out west and landing in Denver.
Musical partners in crime for decades, the pair documents this journey on "Heartless," the first single from Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats' fourth full-length studio album, "South of Here."
"It was so cold leaving the comfort of my Missouri home," Rateliff sings on "Heartless." "And my childhood left me so broken that I didn't know, we were coming out even."
Although music has always been present in Rateliff's life, it was never a sure path. There was work as a missionary, carpenter and gardener, jobs in a plastic factory and trucking depot, some better than others — until the release of "S.O.B." in 2015 propelled his neo-soul-gospel, R&B rock over America's airwaves and his rollicking, Stax-revue, eight-piece band onto global festival stages.
Success doesn't quell the demons — depression, anxiety, drinking; it likely, in fact, amplifies them. In his head and heart, Rateliff was still living "South of Here." And he needed to address that in the only way he knew how: by writing songs.
"I think it's more of a metaphor, I guess, than a physical place," he says after talking through it.
"I feel sometimes it's important, in order to understand where you're at, to remember who you were or what you came from — try to look back at the things you've been through as you try to move forward."
"'South of Here' was one of the last two songs I wrote for the record, and I felt like it said a lot more in terms of the content of the record and it went along more with the thread that runs through all the songs," Rateliff tells.
While Rateliff's songwriting has always exuded sincerity, this latest thread he's pulled is his most vulnerable yet, because "South of Here" is more personal, autobiographical and emotional for Rateliff. He faced doubts and insecurities head on and found healing in the process as he considered his ability to not just survive but thrive. But he didn't do it alone.
After the loss of producer and soul mate Richard Swift (the man behind the board for The Night Sweats' first two records) to alcoholism in 2018, Rateliff processed the rough period on his 2020 solo record, "And It's Still Alright," which was primarily recorded at Swift's home studio in Cottage Grove, Oregon. This time around, he's returned to working with producer Brad Cook (Waxahatchee, Bon Iver, Kevin Morby), who had a hand in The Night Sweats' third record, "The Future." Written during the pandemic, Rateliff now reflects on how he may have gotten in his own way playing a production role on that album.
"My initial thing is to be like, 'Eh, I don't like that. I wouldn't do it that way.' But I'm not trying to do everything exactly the way I would do it, otherwise I'd just make a solo record," he laughs.
As a songwriter and bandleader, Rateliff has "a lot of ideas" and a strong sense of "what I want from the songs and what I want in the songs. There's certain times where I cannot be as open to outside ideas other than the ones I'm hearing myself," he admits. "And I don't think that lends itself to people feeling like they're contributing or getting to insert themselves into the art and the music we're making.
"A lot of what I want is for everybody to have some ownership over the song and the part they play in the song. And so for this record, I really leaned into Brad and let him be the sounding board. When guys would be like, 'Hey, I'm thinking about this.' I was like, 'I don't want you to say it, I just want you to play. I trust you.'"
Historically, when it comes to his opinions of his own songs, Rateliff can be his own worst enemy. He famously had to be convinced to even record "S.O.B." for The Night Sweats' debut album, and there was an era where he self-destructively didn't want to perform any of the songs he knew people liked.
While "The Future" wasn't quite a step backward, more like a patented Rateliff sidestep shuffle when he's on stage, "South of Here's" authenticity is propulsive and will see the band play its biggest shows to date, including a series of arena shows this fall that'll culminate in a headlining spot at Madison Square Garden next March.
There's no doubt The Night Sweats' Bend performance at Hayden Homes Amphitheater on Thursday, Aug. 15 will be tight. "These recordings were done together in a room with my closest friends," Rateliff says of "South of Here." "We're a big family, and there's some beauty to that and there's some frustration with that, with any family." The brood also includes Patrick Meese (drums, piano), Luke Mossman (guitar), Mark Shusterman (Hammond B3 organ, piano), Daniel Hardaway (trumpet), Jeff Dazey (tenor sax) and Andreas Wild (baritone sax).
"I feel loved and supported by those guys," Rateliff says. They're an integral piece of the puzzle that's allowed him to overcome his own personal roadblocks—and maybe "South of Here" can help you, too.
"I hope these songs and stories give people an opportunity to better understand their own struggles, whatever they may be."
