The best friendships are the ones that stand up against the test of time, and that can withstand any distance.

That’s the type of friendship Sam Plourd has with her friend, Marissa, and it is the topic of her latest single, “Evergreen,” released on July 10.

The bouncy indie pop tune was years in the making. The initial demo was recorded with a training keyboard from Plourd’s childhood, with vocals recorded on a Yeti microphone. From there, the Nashville-based songwriter took the project into the studio, where the idea was brought new life — while maintaining its youthful spirit, of course.

“We started with grand piano and programmed in some drums to get a groove going. Then my producer wrote a bass line to ground everything,” Plourd recalls. “The bell-like tones heard throughout the song are actually from a Melissa and Doug learn-to-play piano that my producer had lying around his house. Not only did it capture the youthful and quirky energy of the song, it also felt very full circle for me, since the demo used a keyboard meant for children as well. To tie it all together, we added in the Rhodes and tons of funky percussion to lift the choruses and give them some flair. The vocal layering was very much inspired by Jacklen Ro, specifically their song titled “Self Control.” All of their songs have a very specific and interesting vocal timbre that comes from the layering, harmony, and panning.”

She continues, “There are seven total vocal tracks: a tripled main vocal, a doubled high harmony, and a doubled low harmony. We panned the harmonies hard left and right and kept the main right up the middle to get the desired surrounding vocal effect.”

The masterfully crafted “Evergreen” is the second single from Plourd’s forthcoming album, Butterfly Kisses (out Sept. 4). We have one more single to look forward to before the full-length project makes its way into the world.

For now, let’s appreciate this celebration of everlasting friendship.

“We had the type of instant connection that is both rare and beautiful, and I am so lucky to have experienced it. To me, evergreen means forever. The resilience of an evergreen tree and its ability to keep its foliage throughout every season is representative of the type of relationship that can never falter,” Plourd said. “Through every season of life, through every hardship, through every celebrated moment, Marissa is there. I wrote this song after she moved to New York for college and I was still stuck in our boring hometown. Although there was distance between us, I knew that nothing could ever get in the way of the connection we had. Five years later, and that’s still true.”