The most cold-hard-facts line of 2025 was born from the grocery store checkout line.
“I don’t know if I’m getting better / If I’m getting worse / But I’m getting by”
I mean, have truer words been spoken for these times?
That honest-ass line is the chorus of “This Kind of Rain,” a sunshower country song from Blue Cactus – beloved songwriting darlings Steph Stewart and Mario Arnez of Chapel Hill, North Carolina – that leads off the best album of this group’s career, Believer.
The song was the first one written by Stewart as she tried to put words to feelings and experiences born from the chaotic emotional chasm of the pandemic. Stewart and Arnez had been full-fledged touring musicians for years before being forced to stop the travel and lose both their societal identity and professional means in one fell swoop. They were grateful to get jobs working at a local grocery market as things started to turn, but being in a job exposed to hundreds of human interactions a day when people were supposed to isolate, and the general national culture was exhausted, was naturally demoralizing.
“I was feeling it in February of 2021, it was dark and rainy all month. You had to start work early at 7am, it’d be dark and rainy driving there,” Stewart describes to me back in February, when I met her and Arnez at a busy bakeshop for brunch in the little Triangle hamlet of Hillsborough. “There would be people who didn’t want to mask up, and I was a cashier and feeling pretty shitty about things and having to have small talk with a bunch of strangers back-to-back. I wasn’t good (laughs), though I think there were honest exchanges. We were all hanging in there.”
“We’re all hanging in there” is the core message of “This Kind of Rain,” and the song beautifully sets an emotional tone of Believer to be about letting even the slightest glint of silver linings light a path through the dark parts of life. For Stewart and Arnez, interconnected as bandmates, songwriters, and partners for over a decade, Believer is sharply crafted to celebrate their artistic chemistry, with Stewart’s revelatory songwriting pairing beautifully with Arnez’s melodic architecture and harmonic colors. For Blue Cactus supporters and fans, Believer is the sound of a revered band hitting its stride and delivering an album the community is stoked to support. For those eager ears not yet introduced to Blue Cactus, Believer may prove to be the best country-hued 31 minutes of your year.
Back in 2012, Stewart needed a new Boyfriend. Her Chapel Hill stringband Steph Stewart & the Boyfriends were looking for some new blood before guitar maverick Arnez tumbled in from the swamps of Florida with a pick and a smile. “That was a cool way to start doing music together, it was all acoustic around one mic,” explains Stewart. “We learned a lot about dynamics and singing together. It was a nice way to begin collaborating.”
Steph Stewart and the Boyfriends would release a couple albums of acoustic reverie before dissolving around 2015. But Stewart and Arnez set a new musical course together and Blue Cactus was born from a desire to pursue a more classic rhinestone country vibe, with the two artists first achieving lift off singing Flying Burrito Brothers covers. Their 2017 eponymous debut sways softly in the honky-tonk moonlight and 2021’s Stranger Again, released on Sleepy Cat Records, is a similarly placid stroll through pastoral country fields, with Stewart and Arnez each writing and singing leads on songs throughout.
Believer marks the first time that Stewart has stepped into the role of lead singer and main songwriter. “All songs on Believer pretty much all started with Steph, big thumbprint there,” Arnez revealed, over a stacked plate of biscuits and gravy. It’s a subtle but significant realignment that allows the band to centralize around Stewart as the primary storyteller and voice of the band, with Arnez able to focus on sonic composition and structure to tell these stories in the most captivating way possible.
As such, Stewarts narrative theme of finding hope in broken dreams and promises is strong over the course of Believer’s 9 songs, with Arnez providing lush southern textures and guitar parts that ride the gentle curves of winding county roads. These are the best songs from Blue Cactus’ career and the strongest cohesion of Arnez and Stewart’s artistic instincts and songwriting partnership.
Blue Cactus used two sets of producers on Believer, each of whom were able to shape songs drawing from different parts of the duo’s musical styles. Right from the jump, all parties’ intuitions seemed to find a resonant wavelength that gave a lot of confidence to Stewart and Arnez that their ideas were in good hands.
“We had a lot of demos, but we sent them to both of them, asking them what songs they were drawn to and would want to produce. Instinctively they did not double up on any songs, they definitely picked their wants,” says Stewart.
In Nashville, Blue Cactus worked with producer Whit Wright (Thomas Rhett) and featured local veteran session musicians, including master session player Russ Pahl (Kenny Rogers, Kacey Musgraves) and Rich Ruth (Third Man Records). These sessions really brought out the country roots of some songs and gave those straight shootin’ stories and peach sweet guitar lines a Music City sizzle. “Resolution” has that floatin’ on a feelin’ two-step that twirls softly over butterfly pedal flourishes from Paul, with Stewart singing clear as a beautiful blue sky. On the other side of this musical meadow, in the shadows, is “Take All Day,” which has this graceful vulnerability from Stewart as she tries to shine through washing swells of golden guitars and twinkling synths that form around her.
“Bite My Tongue” has the most country swagger and along with its 9 to 5 – inspired music video, seems to draw its inspiration most from the Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire songs a young Steph Stewart used to sing at karaoke in the foothills of the Appalachians.
“I thought it was a throwaway song,” shares Stewart. “I wasn’t happy with it but I was writing it, and thinking, maybe it’s more of something Lucinda Williams would sing?, and I was just going to pretend that I’m friends with her. I shared the demos, Whit loved it, and in working on the song with them it became one of my favorite songs. It is so fun to sing,” laughs Stewart.
Arnez shares Stewarts enthusiasm for the song and relished the opportunity to collaborate on some sleek hooks with a master guitar player in Paul. “It was a really fun process of having great bones of guitar parts and putting icing over top of that. There’s tremolo parts out in the mix, that little guitar solo on the second half is harmonized; it kind of feels like an Allman Brothers thing. There’s a bunch of fun stuff here,” says the guitarist.
The other half of the album was recorded in and around the band’s hometown of Chapel Hill, in the cradle of the Carolinas, produced by friend Saman Khoujinian (Sylvan Esso, The Dead Tongues) and featuring a close-knit house band of Sleepy Cat Records players and community collaborators that brought more of the humid atmospherics and Piedmont majesty to the forefront.
“Paper Cup” is one of those highlights, an ethereal confessional that hums like love-drunk lightning bugs in evening’s soft light, as pleasant tones and textures swirl around. Arnez said this was the song that felt the most tied to the set and setting of the recording session, with the group bringing a light demo to amorphous rhythm wizard Joe Westerlund, bassist Sinclair Palmer, and Khoujinian adding some keys and synths.
“I love that tune. Even though it’s a mellow track, it’s definitely the one where we stretched out the farthest, arrangement wise,” Khoujinian shared with me over email when I reached out about his experience recording Believer. “In my opinion, Joe Westerlund’s drumming shines brightest. It’s his percussive bedrock that created the space for icy synth swirls and woozy electric guitar to dance. Steph is also a master of the doubled vocal and that effect really sends the song home for me. Of all the tracks it felt like that one is the result of uncountable tiny experiments all made in one day. Really a beautiful testament to everyone’s trust in the process and in each other.”
Believer’s title track is the capstone that bridges the dusk and dawn sonic palettes of Blue Cactus into a mini-epic that demanded close collaboration amongst this group of friends to find the song’s magic. “‘Believer’ was a song where she had verses, but she didn’t have words for the chorus, just a voice memo of melody,” Arnez shares. “I came up with the chorus lyrics.”
Stewart was appreciative of the assist. “[The chorus is] the part of the song where it becomes connected and I couldn’t figure that out. I just had these verses and I was feeling it and it was coming quickly but I didn’t understand what it was about. I had a lot of feelings and emotions around it and he knew what it was about and put it all together on the chorus,” says the songwriter.
“I took the session back home and kind of beat my head against the wall for a while experimenting with how to give the track a sense of massive dimension when the band finally drops without coming off as cheesy or overproduced,” said Khoujinian. What they came up with is Arnez conjuring up a billowing, Zuma-esque solo that rises like a thunderhead before falling into a warm breeze of a coda, one of the producer’s favorite parts from Arnez. “I just soak in Mario’s tone zone. It’s so lush without being too dense, exactly jagged enough, and expansive all the way through.” Blue Cactus at its most grand and wild.
Gabe Anderson – who along with Khoujinian co-founded Sleepy Cat Records and plays drums on “This Kind of Rain” and in the touring band– has been playing and recording with Arnez and Stewart for close to a decade and sees Believer as a pinnacle of cohesive expression that was reached from the songwriters pushing their talents and vision to fulfill a sense of unrealized potential, while still staying true to themselves.
“In retrospect, it feels like Stranger Again was practice, as were the other projects and albums leading up to Believer. Not to say the practice won’t go on and on, but with Believer it feels like a landing, Steph, Mario, Sleepy Cat, and the dozens of other collaborators involved all more embodied than ever, not just a nebulous blob of great potential. Steph and Mario have found their unapologetic voices on this record,” said Anderson.
Khoujinian couldn’t have agreed more, stating, “This record feels like it’s got Steph and Mario’s ESSENCE in it. … I really hear their unique, independent creative voices on this album, and simultaneously, a sound that’s greater than the sum of its parts.”
After we had finished our brunch, Stewart and Arnez took me across the street to UniQuiTiQues, a vintage clothing store in Hillsborough of cowboy and cowgirl fantasies that inspires the classic country style of Blue Cactus. Stewart’s face lit up when we walked in, the cute rooms were filled to the brim with a plethora of leather boots, cowboy hats, denim jackets, velour rhinestone pant suits – it felt like we had walked into the wardrobe department for the Porter Wagoner Show. I looked up and noticed that the group’s Stranger Again vinyl was displayed prominently in the corner, which features a cover photo of the duo standing stylized in a field, Arnez in a deep pomegranate-dyed button up and Stewart in contrasting shades of gold with a satin top and velvet pair of pants. I could tell this place was a muse of sorts for Stewart and Arnez.
Afterwards, I exchanged emails with store owner Jeannie Petterson, who’s been a stylist and friend of the band going back seven years. She’s been the one to bring to life some of the brightest and boldest looks of Blue Cactus’ country throwback style. Just as Blue Cactus has mined sounds and textures from the 70’s, 80’s, and today for their sound, Petterson has mined clothing racks and estate sales for unique leather treasures and custom embroidered jackets. It’s a collaboration of sound and style that can elevate the experience for everyone involved when it hits right.
“One of my recent favorite collaborations with them was a Dolly Parton show. I’m a huge Dolly fan, so when they found out they were doing this show they contacted me for wardrobe. I styled Steph for three separate Dolly eras, as well as the band, with promo looks and a few Linda Ronstandt looks for other band members. I loved it and think that was probably one of my all time styling gigs,” said Petterson.
She was clearly proud of her work with Blue Cactus, going on to share “I always support the artists I work with and that’s one reason I’ll display album and concert posters from shows at my shop. We support each other and I truly believe we need music and the arts in our lives. That’s my little way of helping others find their music.”
Steve Murray is another Blue Cactus fan that’s doing what he can to support and spread the band’s music the best way he can: photography. He’s a local photographer with affable street cred that has shot many bands throughout the area and is appreciative of the artistic flair Blue Cactus brings to the table. “They write great songs and they kick ass live. They’re also all around artists and I really love the thought and creativity they put into the visual side of their work. It’s striking to me that they’ve always seemed to be growing as artists, honing their craft, and willing to embrace who they are.” said Murray over email.
Murray was especially impressed by the stormy, razzle-dazzle theatrics the band brought to the Believer release show at a packed Cat’s Cradle Backroom in May. The band played in matching rain-themed sequin outfits and puffy rain clouds “floated” all over the stage. “They were playing hot all night,” he shared. “I really love shooting Blue Cactus, because they are so creative. They put on a show. Any time spent taking photos of live music is rad, but when you’re shooting something as thoughtfully done as this show, it gets extra fun.”
There’s no doubt this Triangle area loves Blue Cactus and all these small contributions and signs of support within the community have only helped this beloved group find more people outside the community. Come Hear NC, a music program helmed by the state’s Department of Natural & Cultural Resources and the North Carolina Arts Council, recently featured Blue Cactus on their influential Shaped by Sound live music series. Believer has also gotten accolades from more national music publications, with Bandcamp describing it as “unhurried beauty” and labeling it as Best Country Album the month of its release. Additionally roots music tastemaker No Depression called the album, “confident, surefooted,” and IndyWeek said it was a “standout album.”
At this very moment, Blue Cactus is using that momentum to propel itself across the south, midwest, northeast, and mid-Atlantic regions on one big loop, looking to find a set of Believers in every city Arnez and Stewart find themselves in. They are touring in a van as a duo and even in their most stripped-down musical entity, it will be tough to ensure ends are met and they come out on top at the end of the tour. It’s an unfortunate reality, a dire puzzle all musicians have hard time solving. “Certainly makes it feel like a job at that point,” Arnez concedes. Stewart elaborates, adding, “booking has been harder this year. Normally we’d have more festival bookings right now, but they are not making offers. I hear budgets are getting caught, so less opportunities for bands.”
Stewart also does publicity for Sleepy Cat Records – she’s personally sent out every Believer EPK – and has as a firsthand understanding of the importance of making inroads with the right people, trying to connect these spaced out networking incidences into some sort of constellation of opportunity. She admits there’s “only so many hours in the day” she can commit to shouting into the void of greater recognition. She wants to ensure she still has time to invest her support in other artists and musicians within her community, to keep the karmic circle spinning.
“I am first and foremost an artist,” says Stewart. “I am not going to these conferences and meeting all these other people. I am in my space for artistry or trying to promote other artists. They are not going to open any avail from my email, because it does come down to connections. I want to put that energy into my community, we want to work with our people.”
On tour, they slide in with friends and stay tethered to musical communities across the country as best they can. “It makes it very easy to connect with people when you have this shared experience of writing songs, living on the road, trying to make a living at it. There’s not a lot of space for small talk, it’s very easy to get into deep conversations,” says Stewart.
Arnez and Stewart are grateful for that support as they finish out this early summer tour for Believer. There will be tough days of rigorous travel and little sleep, but sweet moments of appreciative crowds, romantic bliss, and stories fans share after the show. “I like the unknown of [touring], trying to let go of any expectations,” says Stewart.
Believer is the best music Blue Cactus has ever created and these musicians are part of an artistic community that is as invested in its success and this album as ever before. But the rigors of album promotion and road doggin’ it are real; success is not guaranteed. So Steph Stewart and Mario Arnez are taking their lives one day at a time, hanging in there, believing that their dreams will carry them as far as their next show.
Boogixote 