Okkervil River are one of the best and most consistent bands of the past fifteen years or so, with a back-catalogue that would be the envy of the majority of musicians. Much of their success is down to the songwriting of front man Will Sheff, his work as detailed and nuanced and interesting as any lyricist working right now, his love of language propelling the songs past the usual remit of indie rock and into literary territory, the depth and complexity always masked by a deeply satisfying poetic flow.
After a three year break, Okkervil River are back with a new album, Away. Recorded in New York state with a new backing band and orchestration composed by Nathan Thatcher and performed by yMusic, Sheff describes the record as “not really an Okkervil River album and…also my favorite Okkervil River album,” the meaning of which remains to be seen.
So far we only have one song to go by. ‘Okkervil River R.I.P.’ is a song about new beginnings and the necessary deaths needed in order for them to occur. As Sheff explains:
“I think this record was me taking my life back to zero and starting to add it all back up again, one plus one plus one. Any part that didn’t feel like it added up I left out. Eventually, I realized I was writing a death story for a part of my life that had, buried inside of it, a path I could follow that might let me go somewhere new.”
The track comes complete with a video written and directed by Will Sheff himself, starring Tim Blake Nelson of O Brother Where Art Thou? fame. Check it out below:
Away is set for release on the 9th September via ATO Records and you can pre-order it now. The band are heading out on a massive tour this summer, culminating in European dates this autumn (see below). Full dates are available here.
10/30 @ Parkteatret in Oslo, Norway
10/31 @ Pustervik in Gothenburg, Sweden
11/02 @ Debaser Strand in Stockholm, Sweden
11/03 @ Vega in Copenhagen, Denmark
11/04 @ Rolling Stone Weekender in Weissenhauser Strand, Germany
11/05 @ Paradiso Nord in Amsterdam, Holland
11/07 @ Petit Bain in Paris, France
11/08 @ Botanique Rotonde in Brussels, Belgium
11/10 @ Islington Assembly Hall in London, UK
11/11 @ Thekla in Bristol, UK
11/12 @ Gorilla in Manchester, UK
11/13 @ Stereo in Glasgow, UK
Photo by Fionn Reilly