Bend Americana duo Coyote Willow will perform at McMenamins on Wednesday.

After years of tinkering with the album’s songs, Bend Americana duo Coyote Willow released their fifth record, “Embers,” on April 30. And they say that it includes their finest lyrics yet.

“It probably has the most meaning of any CD we’ve done,” said Tim Coffey, singer and guitarist for the duo.

Coyote Willow — comprised of married couple Coffey, 65, and cellist/singer Kat Hilst, 62 — had played rough versions of the five songs on “Embers” for a few years before recording them, they said.

But in late 2019, the duo began workshopping the tracks with Nashville songwriting consultant Kari Estrin. That collaboration took Coyote Willow’s songs to a new level, they said.

“The woman in Nashville, she was good at tearing things down and making them better,” Coffey said. “They were good lyrics before, and they became better lyrics.”

Coffey and Hilst described the lyrical themes of “Embers” as darker than their previous work. One of the major topics on the album is toxic relationships, both romantic and platonic.

“I know I’ve dealt with various dysfunctional family issues in my life, so I know (the lyrics) come from what inspires you to move on,” Hilst said.

Not all the songs on “Embers” are tragedies, however. Another major theme of the EP is strong connections with friends and lovers.

One example is the track “Old Soul,” which Hilst described as being about “meeting somebody you’ve known for a long time for the first time.”

“You meet this person you swear you’ve known forever, only you’ve just met them,” she said.

Coyote Willow recorded “Embers,” which is available on major streaming platforms, in 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. And because Coffey and Hilst have their own recording studio in their Bend home, the recording process wasn’t difficult at all, they said.

In fact, the pandemic helped the duo secure a local drummer for the recordings: Jeff Ingraham, who’s backed up country icons such as Kris Kristofferson and Merle Haggard.

“He stopped touring, so he was here,” Coffey said of Ingraham.

Coyote Willow was founded in 2010 in Bend, after Coffey and Hilst met in the local music scene.

Coffey grew up in Salem, spent 20 years as a touring guitarist for numerous acts, then quit music for a while before picking it back up after moving to Bend, he said.

Hilst grew up in Connecticut and New Jersey. Although her day job is in aviation, music has always been present in her life — first with studying piano at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music in Ohio and later playing in a Celtic band after moving to Bend in 2008.

Despite COVID-19, Coyote Willow has been performing their new tracks live this year. Their first post-COVID-19 concert was on St. Patrick’s Day at Worthy Brewing, and they already have other local shows lined up in the future.

The duo said they don’t feel unsafe performing live during a pandemic.

“The good news about Worthy and performing in general is that you’re automatically pretty removed from everybody,” Hilst said. “So you didn’t have to wear a mask on stage.”

What: Upcoming Coyote Willow performances

Details:

• Noon Saturday at the Prineville Street Fair in downtown Prineville

• 5 p.m. May 30 at the Brown Owl, 550 SW Industrial Way, #120, Bend

• 6 p.m. June 24, 10 Barrel Eastside, 62950 NE 18th St, Bend

Cost: All performances are free

Contact: coyotewillowmusic.com