we had the opportunity to chat with scout smissen on her bellingham-based band scout & the fox’s wedding’s first single “Thumb in a Car Door,” a song about lost love and its accompanying feelings.
WISHFUL THINKING PRESS: congratulations on the release of your first single! how was the process of recording and releasing it?
SCOUT: thank you, thank you, thank you!!! i am so happy and proud! the process was really fun. i had connected with a mutual friend, cirrus levine, and we ended up hanging out at his crib and just sorta jamming. he has this insane home-studio setup, and i asked if we could record a demo of this song i had been working on (Thumb in a Car Door)! we just couldn’t stop working on it (at least, i couldn’t stop wanting to work on it). four sessions later of just layering all the harmonies, him adding some beautiful guitar and bass, and finally having it mastered, it was born! i think i could’ve been more intentional with the promo/release process, but honestly i was so excited to have something under my new project that i released it and just hoped some folks would listen.
WISHFUL THINKING PRESS: did this song go through many different reiterations in the writing process before being ready to share?
SCOUT: WELL, it is no surprise that this is a breakup song, and when i first wrote it, it definitely really felt like one. it became a song that, at the time, was really just me processing a lot of big emotions, especially the sad ones. as the recording sessions went on, it began to transition into a very beautiful metaphor of my grieving process. i feel like even listening to it from the first voice memo to what it is now, i can hear how much more of a song of moving through grief it is, where initially it was just me sitting in my own sadness. i feel really empowered by this song now, but it certainly had a different emotional meaning to me initially. so, to answer your question, not many reiterations in the writing process, but the emotions behind it definitely changed!
WISHFUL THINKING PRESS: how did scout & the fox’s wedding come to be?
SCOUT: honestly, it was just me begging my friends who i loved to play music with if they would play in a band with me, haha. thankfully they said yes, because they have absolutely TRANSFORMED what i thought any of my songs could be. i would be lying if i said i haven’t cried multiple times when i present a song to them, and they come back with a totally new reimagining of a song i had just written solo on an acoustic guitar. especially with some of these harmonies lauren wallach (of bellflower) and anna sominsky (of where’s the exit) come up with. like, DAMN.
WISHFUL THINKING PRESS: do you have a favorite line in “Thumb in a Car Door?”
SCOUT: yesss… for context, the song is basically comparing going through a breakup as a wound slowly healing… (very original). in my case, it was literally slamming my thumb in a car door accidentally (would NOT recommend).
“it’s long enough so i can bite it
a habit i inherited from you“
WISHFUL THINKING PRESS: who are some musicians that you admire and influence your creative process?
SCOUT: joni mitchell, first aid kit, father john misty, david bowie(!!!), seu jorge.
WISHFUL THINKING PRESS: we were lucky enough to see you perform at ‘ono kitchen & bar last month! how has it been performing live as a newly formed band?
SCOUT: EEK THANK YOU FOR COMING! i am so lucky. it has been good! i have to invest some energy into booking us more gigs, but school has been kicking my ass. we have lots of fun things planned for spring time though; i have a feeling this summer will definitely be the fox’s season.
WISHFUL THINKING PRESS: are there any exciting plans or projects in the works?
SCOUT: YES! we just recorded two songs, thanks to western washington university student, aidan adams! one is called “pirate’s life,” it is the most sea-shanty, folk-y song ever. it’s very dumb and cute, and seems to be a crowd favorite. then a cover song called “the irish ballad” by tom lehrer. it is satirical (and very dark) and has lived in my family for generations. it is our favorite campfire song to sing, and with the way we recorded both songs, hopefully it’ll feel like you’re at the campfire with us!
WISHFUL THINKING PRESS: would you like to share anything else?
SCOUT: fuck tr*mp! aid and abet abortions! free Palestine! art and music is a form of resistance, so keep fucking creating!!!
“Thumb in a Car Door” is a single released january 29th, 2025. written and arranged by scout smissen. produced by cirrus levine. mastered by gabe sodl.
lyrics:
we lost our love in a car door
my thumb, i let it bleed, until i couldn’t feel it anymore
i tried my best to paint it over
no color match on planet earth could cover
this aching sore
i still remember when it happened
you made the comparison to when it happened to you
and you remarked it was a bad hit
but nothing that you didn’t go through too
it’s been a while since i saw you
my nail is growing big and strong but i
still feel the groove
it’s long enough so i can bite it
a habit i inherited from you
one day sure, i will notice
my finger will forget what it’s like to be blue
and when it happens, i’ll rejoice it!
‘cause it means i will have finally outgrown
you.
scout smissen (she/her) of scout & the fox’s wedding is a musical artist with a history of performing all genres from punk to church choir, but for now, she is loving being a folk artist.
