For Dallas-based folk duo Penny & Dime, songwriting has always been an intimate and cathartic process. Their latest single “Fever” reflects on the universal urge to escape yourself, while realizing that no matter where you go, you cannot outrun your own mind.
Krystle Wahnschaffe (Penny) and Kylie Valigura (Dime) have a storytelling style that blends folk, indie, and Americana influences, which lended itself easily to the sing-along anthem that is part of the pair’s upcoming album A Past Life.
In a recent interview with KXT, Valigura explained that the song was inspired by the phrase, “No matter where you go, there you are,” which led to the reimagined lyric: No matter where I run, here I go.
“It’s about wanting to get away from yourself,” Valigura shared. “When you’re tired of being in your own head, you’ll look anywhere for an escape. But there’s something freeing about acknowledging that frustration and turning it into something tangible—something you can sing and shout.”
Wahnschaffe contributed a key line in the song’s bridge—It’s hot as hell in Texas—which ties the theme together, reinforcing the idea of feeling stuck both physically and mentally. “There’s a double meaning there,” she explained. “It’s about that suffocating feeling, but also references the broader themes we explored throughout the album.”
Many of the songs on A Past Life were written during the pandemic—a time of immense uncertainty that left the duo in an emotional limbo. They released their debut album in April 2020, and were excited to tour and promote it, only to be met with the shutdown of live music. The songwriting process became an outlet for processing those feelings of stagnation and existential questioning.
“There are undertones of cultural content across the whole record,” Wahnschaffe said. “Your book [in ‘Fever’] is a bit of a religious reference.”
“Also on the bridge,” Valigura added, “one line I’m happy with describes a feeling I’ve always had, So hard to take up space. You know, being in public spaces, and that social anxiety a lot of us felt coming out of the pandemic.”
The album as a whole explores themes of nostalgia, disillusionment, and self-discovery, questioning the narratives we were given growing up. The duo worked with Tyler Martin at Neon Cowboy Studio to bring the record to life, self-funding and self-producing the project as independent artists.
Keep an eye out for their next single “A Whole Life” on April 4, and their album release on May 16. Keep up with the band on their Instagram page.
Jessica Waffles is a freelance photographer/videographer and regular contributor to KXT.
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