Amanda Shires and Maren Morris Serve a Heartbreaking Single in “Empty Cups”

Amanda Shires’ single “Empty Cups” is a heartbreaking portrait of a relationship in shambles, in which her writing shines through her use of beautifully descriptive language and stone-cold metaphors. Maren Morris chimes in with a high lonesome harmony on the choruses while the band finds an ironic lift, adding to the tension-tinged love story told in the lyrics. “Empty Cups” was released this summer alongside its live music video, in which Shires and Morris share the center of a recording studio and the band (including Jason Isbell on guitar) proceeds around them, like something out of a Frank Sinatra television special. Shires’ latest album, Take It Like a Man, arrived on July 29, yet the strings, simplicity, and soul of this video give the emotional performance a timeless glow.