For Nashville-based duo The Prickly Pair — comprised of Thornton School of Music alumni Mason Summit and Irene Greene — the release of their self-titled debut EP marks the culmination of nearly a decade of music, love and collaboration.

Out Oct. 24, “The Prickly Pair” captures the couple’s expansive creative evolution, weaving together the emotional and artistic threads that have defined their partnership in both a timeless and vividly original way.

For singer-songwriter instrumentalists Summit and Greene, whose sounds blur the line between self-proclaimed “Angsty Americana” and indie melancholy, partnership isn’t just a theme — it’s the foundation of their art.

The pair met during the first week of a songwriting class at Carson Soundstage. After showcasing samples of their own projects for the class, Summit felt there was a rare creative connection between them, describing the pair as “kindred spirits.” Shortly after, Greene sent him a Facebook message proposing a collaboration for the class, and the rest was history.

Sean Holt, vice dean of Thornton’s contemporary division and former professor to the pair, noted their passion and camaraderie in music from the start. He said what set Summit and Greene apart was their early sense of purpose and musical influence.

“[Mason and Irene] both had a beautiful timeless stoicism to the way that they approached music,” Holt said. “Some students come in wanting to write the next pop hit … They were broadcasting that there was something a little bit more timeless.”

He said they came into his class with a clarity about their storytelling. He said the duo’s sound now digs into self-revealing vulnerability that places their music outside of the country genre.

“I love their ‘angsty Americana’ moniker,” Holt said. “You can’t nail it down.”

Summit grew up in Santa Monica, surrounded by creativity and a passion for the arts. His mother, a writer and a poet, and his late father, an actor and musician, helped guide him through his musical journey, supporting his artistic endeavors. 

Greene, originally from Pennsylvania, began exploring music at around 12, developing her songwriting and piano skills long before arriving in Thornton’s pop music program. 

The pair began dating in the early months of 2017, but it wasn’t until the COVID-19 lockdown that they decided to formalize their long-standing musical collaboration, forming The Prickly Pair in 2021.

“We have such a comfortable way of working together,” said Greene about officiating their duo. “‘Two is better than one,’ I think is what we realized — that our powers combined were stronger.”

Upon moving to Nashville, Tennessee, Summit and Greene began brainstorming ways to bring their vision of collaboration and artistic ingenuity to fruition.

Their road trip was filled with hours of listening to music, mulling over country classics and searching for ways to blend those sounds with Summits’ love of Elliott Smith, Judee Sill, Gram Parsons and more. 

“[We’re] trying to walk a middle ground of honoring tradition and classic country that we love and then also trying to put a little bit of a spin on it,” Summit said.

To add to an already illustrious blend, Greene found clarity in the modern classics, intertwining Fiona Apple, Alanis Morissette and early 2000s country icons like Faith Hill, as well as newer contemporary artists like CMAT, an Irish country-pop singer they discovered after moving to Nashville. 

It was with this shared vision that their debut EP came to life. The five-track collection brims with intricate instrumentation and lyricism, reflecting the duo’s growth over the years. The creative journey behind the EP spans their entire relationship, opening with “Winsome Lose Some Game,” the most recently written track, and closing with “Piece of the Sky,” a song crafted years earlier during their undergraduate days at USC.

Their songwriting process throughout the expanse of this record is fluid and collaborative, reflecting the duo’s comfort and creative chemistry. 

“Sometimes it’s a song one of us has started, and the other helps polish it off,” Greene said about their track “Swamp Angel.” “Other times we start totally from scratch together.”

Looking ahead, the pair is already eager for live shows to accompany their release, but this month, their anticipation extends far beyond the EP itself. After years of dating, Summit and Greene are scheduled to marry in a few short weeks. 

“It feels like a big milestone wrapped in a big milestone for us,” Greene said. “It feels like pride and relief — it feels like we accomplished something, which feels very good.”

For Summit and Greene, their music, grounded in honesty and shaped by almost a decade of collaboration, offers a glimpse into their partnership built on trust, curiosity and growth.

“We are trying to tell a story,” Greene said. “We want to get in our car and drive around with our dog and play shows, and I think this is our stepping stone to that.”