K. Phillips, ’18 Year Old Girls’ [Exclusive Premiere]

Texas-born and Tennessee-based singer-songwriter K. Phillips is premiering his song “18 Year Old Girls” exclusively for readers of The Boot.

"18 Year Old Girls" is decidedly less scandalous than its title might suggest: The song, written by Phillips and the Band of Heathens’ Gordy Quist, tells the story of a man who meets a woman who’s just a little too young for him.

“You have this older guy who knows it's a bad idea, and he's embarrassed to bring this girl around his friends," Phillips tells The Boot. "Maybe she's a rebound for him, but he doesn't want to hurt her. In the end, she leaves him in the dust, unscathed.

“My producer said the song needed a twist, and that's when we came up with, 'I did not think you'd wake up and leave / You were here to help me grieve,'" he continues. "In those two lines, you have everything you need to know about age and wisdom and women and men as it pertains to relationships.”

“18 Year Old Girls” fits squarely into the theme of the album on which it will be released, titled Dirty Wonder. Phillips describes the forthcoming project as a “part-autobiographical, part-imagined, part-observational breakup album,” coming from an outsider’s perspective. Produced by Quist and featuring a cameo from Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz, Dirty Wonder is poised to receive the same sort of critical acclaim as Phillips' last album, American Girls, which earned praise from the likes of No Depression and Daytrotter.

Dirty Wonder is set for release on Rock Ridge Music on March 10.

Listen to K. Phillips' "18 Year Old Girls":

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