Exclusive: decker. Pays Tribute to Tom Petty on New Track, “Burnin’ Grass”

Arizona-based psych-folk act decker. will release his latest studio album, Born to Wake Up, on September 14 via Royal Potato Family. Brandon Decker is the singer-songwriter behind the project and Born to Wake Up is the follow-up to his 2017 song collection Into the Red. Its lead single “Burnin’ Grass,” debuting via Paste today, is the perfect backdrop for cruising down desert backroads.

The lyrics begin with the story of struggling to keep moving forward when the going gets tough: “I get so tired baby / I can’t barely think / Trial by fire lately / Most everywhere, it seems.” It’s a testament to perseverance in the face of adversity, with a classic late-’60s, early-’70s feel as Decker repeats, “So keep your eyes wide open / So shut your mouth for just one moment.”

The song is an ode to the late, great Tom Petty and was written in the weeks following his death.

Decker explains the song’s origins as follows:

I was driving across the high desert with my six-year-old son, and assessing the demo recording, thinking of a potential title and kind of stumped. I asked my son what he thought the name of the song should be and he looked out the window and said, ‘The grass is burning.’ I thought, ‘Wow, that’s heavy.’ I asked him if shortening it to “Burnin’ Grass” would work for him and he acquiesced. It seemed a perfect name for a tribute to Petty. It’s more spiritual than literal, but it gets at some Damn the Torpedos vibe and honors his influence.

Decker joined us in our New York studio late last year to perform songs from his career-spanning , playing “Patsy,” “The Holy Ghost,” “Spades” and others while backed by a five-piece band.

Listen to “Burnin Grass” exclusively via Paste below and check out decker.’s 2017 Paste Studio session further down. You can preorder his new album here.