It is ok to live a quiet life but for an artist, things are usually clamorous. Denison Witmer has released a new standalone single, “It’s Okay to Live A Quiet Life” (Asthmatic Kitty Records) in two versions, “For A,” and “For E.” Produced and performed by Witmer with help from Thomas Bartlett and Andy Park, Denison wrote the song after a road trip with a friend who asked, “When is it ok to just be? Can’t I just live a quiet life?”

“So much of our energy is spent trying to separate the signal from the noise,” says Denison, “This song is meant as an encouragement to the listener to pause and take the time they need to rehabilitate. It’s ok to live a quiet life. You don’t have to prove a thing to yourself or anyone.”

Denison wrote “It’s Okay to Live A Quiet Life” originally as part of a side project under the moniker of Uncle Denny (a nickname Sufjan jokingly gave him when they toured together) as a challenge to produce music as quickly as possible in a first-thought-best-thought approach. Denison wrote and recorded a song a day for a month and then released them on Bandcamp immediately after. Songs ranged from “Hello 2020” (January 1) to “Kobe Bryant” (January 26) to “Constitutional Crisis” (January 30th). 

The two versions of “It’s Okay to Live a Quiet Life” reflect the various personalities and tastes of Denison’s children. “They have different musical tastes, and I thought it would be a fun challenge to make each one in the style of music that they like,” says Denison.