Puerto Rican-Italian Nashville-based musician Becca Mancari (they/them) recently announced their third album, Left Hand, due out this August 25th via Captured Tracks. Mancari has already shared the record’s lead single and queer joy anthem “Over and Over” featuring Julien Baker to critical acclaim, and today Mancari shares another taste of the album, releasing “Don’t Even Worry,” a guitar-driven ode to our closest friends. Featuring Mancari’s friend and fellow Bermuda Triangle bandmate, “Don’t Even Worry” was written with Brittany Howard, who also provided additional production and performs backing vocals, guitar, keys, sub bass, percussion and even snaps on the track.

About the creation of the song, Mancari says, “‘Don’t Even Worry’ started as two best friends hanging out, exploring what it would be like to write and produce a song together. After a night of simply enjoying whatever flowed out, Brittany sent me a 1-minute instrumental track that I started building melodies and words over. As I sat with the music, I kept hearing this phrase, ‘Don’t even worry, I got you!’” She continues, “This song, to me, is an anthem of the deep bond of friendship that Brittany and I have; she is my chosen family who has been with me every step of the way in my musical journey, but more importantly my life. This song is about underrepresented people who literally say to each other: ‘Hey, I know that the world often says it’s not made for us, and I know that this weight can be too heavy sometimes, but when you’re down and feel lost I will carry you through it, and vice versa, because we don’t give up on each other, and I got you.’”

Howard adds, “It’s wonderful to announce that Becca Mancari and I have released “Don’t Even Worry”. Becca is my dearest friend (and 1/3 of our project Bermuda Triangle) and I’m so proud to see them shine in all of their glory. This song is to all the friends we consider family. To our ride or dies! To the ones that see us, protect us, cry with us, laugh with us. To the ones who celebrate the highs and cushion the lows with us. To the ones who see us shining in the dark. To the friends that love us at our best and worst! I’m just so grateful I get to create music and throw it out into the world with you!”

The video, directed by Sophia Matinazad, playfully showcases the deep friendship and musicianship between Mancari and Howard.

Following the release of their last record, Mancari was in despair, despite the undeniable success of The Greatest Part. illness in their family, coupled with a realization that their alcohol dependency had become untenable, led Mancari to begin the hard work of taking ownership of their existence by mending broken relationships and investing in their mental health.  “I didn’t realize it then, but looking back, I was a passenger in my own life,” Mancari says. The transformative period of self-reckoning was the catalyst that ultimately steered Mancari to write and produce their triumphant new album, Left Hand. 

Throughout the album’s twelve tracks, Mancari asserts a radical self-acceptance. Left Hand is named for the Mancari family crest from the Italian region of Calabria in which a left hand holds a dagger aloft. After a lifetime spent feeling like they didn’t belong, Mancari unlocked a perfect metaphor in the crest: “In many cultures children born with a dominant left hand were taught not to use that hand, and were told that using the right hand was ‘normal’ and ‘correct.’ Similarly, queer children are often times told that it’s not ‘normal’ for them to love who they love and that they need to ‘change.’”

Photo Courtesy: Shervin Lainez