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Mar 17, 2023 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Joseph Cash

Milwaukee-based singer/songwriter Trapper Schoepp’s music is steeped in history, taking cues from luminaries of folk music as well as a deep well of influences from traditional American and Irish folk. That history has emerged on each of Schoepp’s previous records, but may be most evident in his upcoming album Siren Songs. For his latest effort, Schoepp decamped to Johnny Cash’s historic Cash Cabin in Hendersonville, TN where Schoepp recorded with a variety of instruments on the storied grounds.

This year, Schoepp has teased the album with a pair of early singles, “Cliffs of Dover” and “Devils Kettle,” and today he is back with another new track, “Secrets of the Breeze,” premiering with Under the Radar.

“Secrets of the Breeze” takes on a nautical tale of stormy weather and crashing waves, framed through the lens of traditional Celtic folk stylings. Schoepp’s vocals ring out above a sea rollicking drumwork, ringing mandolin, and churning rhythms, with the instrumentation imitating the tumultuous waters of the lyrics. The track captures the surreal and indefinite beauty of the natural world, narrating Schoepp’s experiences with a sense of wonder, mystery, and trepidation: “I felt the waves come crashing down / And I was so deep, so deep I might have drowned / But I held my breath and the tide pushed me / No more do I explore the secrets of the breeze.”

Schoepp explains of the track, “During the height of the pandemic, I began paddle boarding obsessively on Lake Michigan. My friends and I would explore this Great Lake into the winter months, passing by ancient shipwrecks, floating icebergs and Wisconsin wildlife. It became an instant refuge, filling me with a sense of wonder I hadn’t felt since childhood. One December day, a strong gust of wind threw me off my paddle board into a pile of boulders onshore. I ended up in the ER with an injured foot and renewed sense of respect for Mother Nature and its many mysteries.”

Check out the song and video below. Siren Songs is out everywhere on April 21st.