Photo: Getty Images
Priscilla Block fired off a “savage” message to an ex-boyfriend who failed to pick up his stuff after the split.
The North Carolina-born country star opted to list everything half-price in a yard sale. She’s talking “Jon boat, fishing poles, deer mounts and Mossy Oak,” plus some “Lucchese’s (that) gotta go,” an Xbox, golf clubs and more. Block directs customers to follow the eye-popping yellow yard sale signs and declares “everything — including you — must go.”
“Yard Sale” is Block’s latest single. The summer-worthy anthem perfectly captures the singer-songwriter’s signature personality, cleverness and sense of humor (which should come as no surprise to longtime fans, especially given Block’s suggestion when asked about songwriting inspiration: “...all over the place. I mean, if I’m at a bar one night, just go into a girl’s bathroom. Listen to drunk girls talk in the bathroom. You can get so many ideas!”). She teamed up with David Garcia, Jessie Jo Dillon and Laura Veltz to bring “Yard Sale” to life. During a recent conversation with iHeartCountry, Block said the story behind the song started when she was buying a Jon boat, and hoped to play matchmaker with the seller and her best friend. But “long story short, it never worked out with the guy, and we ended up just selling the Jon boat.” Block was retelling the “saga” during a writing session and laughed at the idea of “just selling somebody’s things.”
The descriptive lyrics make it easy for listeners to visualize the ex’s belongings that are up for grabs. In particular, Block said she loves the lyrics, “Xbox (sold), golf clubs (also sold)/ Everything including you must go,” and, “if you want something else, you better bring cash.” Those lines were first to pop into her head when asked about favorite lyrics “because it’s just so savage.” Releasing “Yard Sale” at this time also felt like a meant-to-be move as we head into the perfect season to host a sale. “People are spring cleaning, throwing a bunch of sh*t out” Block pointed out. “The timing of the song has been great.”
Block admitted she “didn’t know if I would really ever release it.” But any time she played the song for someone she knew, she received reactions along the lines of, “‘Priscilla, you have to put this song out. It’s such a vibe, and it’s so your personality.’”
“Yard Sale” quickly became a fan-favorite, sing-along-worthy anthem. Already, Block said she feels as though the song has been out for months. She’s “been playing it live, and everyone knows every word. There’s so many yard sale signs in the crowd. I’m like, ‘wow, who knew safety vests and yard sale signs were gonna be going through the roof, flying off the shelves?’ People have just been customizing their neon yard sale signs and bedazzling them, and it’s so, so fun. …(It’s) very, very much of a vibe.”
That “vibe” — and groups of fans coming together in safety vests, crop tops, bedazzled wardrobe pieces and more — is perhaps why it’s “really easy” for Block to connect with others during live shows. She said in a way, it’s “what keeps me going,” particularly as she looks ahead to the next chapter in her career. Block said it’s not lost on her that she’s come a long way since her move to Nashville at 17 years old “with fifty bucks to my name,” playing cover songs in bars to anyone who would listen. Now, more than a decade later, the 29-year-old artist has a full schedule of tour dates and festival performances where she’ll hear crowds singing her original lyrics back to her.
“Honestly, I would just hype her up,” Block said, when asked whether she would tell her 17-year-old self anything if she could. “I’m so thankful for the journey that I’ve been on, and it has not been easy. And it’s still – there’s hard days in everything. But I don’t know if I would really have changed a lot on my path to getting here, you know? I just think I would go back and be like, ‘you are doing it and you’re going to get to wherever you want. You just need to keep your eye on that and put your blinders on.’ I think we all kind of get caught up in what other people are doing, and it doesn’t matter what career path you choose. Even in life, people are on different timelines, and if you, you know, if you stay focused on where you want to go and kind of block out the noise, put your blinders on and focus on that, you’ll get to wherever you want to go. And I think that I did a lot of that, but I wish I would’ve done it a little bit more.”
The “Good On You” star stirred anticipation for “a lot of music” on the horizon, and a new chapter after Welcome To The Block Party. Block’s 12-track debut album — and its 16-track deluxe edition — included the title track, “My Bar,” “Thick Thighs,” “Me Pt. 2,” “Off The Deep End” and more. Block teased big plans on the way when she caught up with iHeartCountry, and “I think everyone will be really excited.”
Until then, listen to “Yard Sale” again here: