Iron And Wine Announces New Album 'Beast Epic' And US Tour
Thursday, 08 June 2017
Written by Laura Johnson
Photo: Kim Black
Iron and Wine will release his first new album in over four years this summer.
Sam Beam will put out 'Beast Epic', the follow up to 2013's 'Ghost On Ghost', on August 25 through Sub Pop. Beam was joined on the record by Rob Burger (keys), Joe Adamik (percussion), Jim Becker (guitar, banjo, violin, mandolin), Sebastian Steinberg (bass), and Teddy Rankin Parker (cello).
Check out the video for Call It Dreaming, along with the album's artwork and a note from Beam about it, below.
“I must confess that I’ve always shied away from album introductions citing the usual “dancing to architecture” cop out. Speaking to their own work is uncomfortable for many artists, but I’ve made a new album called Beast Epic which is important to me and I wanted to take a moment to talk about why. I’ve been releasing music for about fifteen years now and I feel very blessed to have put out five other full lengths, many EPs and singles, a few collaborations with people much more talented than myself, and made contributions to numerous movie scores and soundtracks. This is my sixth collection of new Iron & Wine material and I’m happy to say that it’s my fourth for Sub Pop Records.
It’s a warm and serendipitous time to be reuniting with my Seattle friends because I feel there’s a certain kinship between this new collection of songs and my earliest material, which Sub Pop was kind enough to release. In hindsight, both The Creek Drank the Cradle (2002) and Our Endless Numbered Days (2004) epitomize a reflective and confessional songwriting style (although done with my own ferocious commitment to understatement, of course.) I have been and always will be fascinated by the way time asserts itself on our bodies and our hearts. The ferris wheel keeps spinning and we’re constantly approaching, leaving or returning to something totally unexpected or startlingly familiar. The rite of passage is an image I’ve returned to often because I feel we’re all constantly in some stage of transition. Beast Epic is saturated with this idea but in a different way simply because each time I return to the theme I’ve collected new experiences to draw from. Where the older songs painted a picture of youth moving wide-eyed into adulthood’s violent pleasures and disappointments, this collection speaks to the beauty and pain of growing up after you’ve already grown up. For me, that experience has been more generous in its gifts and darker in its tragedies.
The sound of Beast Epic harks back to previous work, in a way, as well. By employing the old discipline of recording everything live and doing minimal overdubbing, I feel like it wears both its achievements and its imperfections on its sleeve. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed experimenting with different genres, sonics and songwriting styles and all that traveled distance is evident in the feel and the arrangements here, but the muscles seemed to have relaxed and been allowed to effortlessly do what they do best.
I’ve been fortunate to get to play with some very talented musicians over the years who are both uniquely intuitive and also expressive in exciting ways. This group was no different. We spent about two weeks recording and mixing but mostly laughing at The Loft in Chicago.
To be honest, I’ve named this record BEAST EPIC mostly because it sounds really fucking cool! However, with that said and perhaps to be completely honest, “a story where animals talk and act like people” sounds like the perfect description for the life of any of us. If not that, then it’s at least perfect for any group of songs I’ve ever tried to make. I hope you enjoy it.”
Iron and Wine will support the record with a North American tour, tickets for which go on sale at 10am on June 15.
Iron and Wine Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows
Sat July 22 2017 - AUSTIN Texas - Paramount Theatre (USA)
Sun August 27 2017 - COLUMBIA Missouri - Blue Note (USA)
Mon August 28 2017 - CHATTANOOGA Tennessee - Tivoli Theatre (USA)
Tue August 29 2017 - BIRMINGHAM AL Alabama - Saturn (USA)
Wed August 30 2017 - LOUISVILLE Kentucky - WFPK on the Waterfront (USA)
Thu October 12 2017 - CHICAGO Illinois - Thalia Hall (USA)
Fri October 13 2017 - CHICAGO Illinois - Thalia Hall (USA)
Sat October 14 2017 - SAINT PAUL Minnesota - Palace Theatre (USA)
Sun October 15 2017 - LINCOLN Nebraska - Rococo Theatre (USA)
Tue October 17 2017 - MISSOULA Montana - Wilma Theater (USA)
Wed October 18 2017 - SEATTLE Washington - Moore Theater (USA)
Thu October 19 2017 - EUGENE Oregon - McDonald Theater (USA)
Fri October 20 2017 - PORTLAND Oregon - Aladdin Theater (USA)
Sat October 21 2017 - SAN FRANCISCO California - Warfield Theatre (USA)
Thu October 26 2017 - LOS ANGELES California - Cathedral Sanctuary at Immanuel Presbyterian (USA)
Fri October 27 2017 - PIONEERTOWN California - Pappy and Harriets (USA)
Sat October 28 2017 - SAN DIEGO California - Balboa (USA)
Sun October 29 2017 - PHOENIX Arizona - Van Buren (USA)
Mon October 30 2017 - ALBUQUERQUE New Mexico - El Rey (USA)
Wed November 01 2017 - DALLAS Texas - Kessler (USA)
Thu November 02 2017 - SAN ANTONIO Texas - Aztec Theater (USA)
Fri November 03 2017 - HOUSTON Texas - Heights (USA)
Sat November 04 2017 - NEW ORLEANS Louisiana - Joy Theater (USA)
Mon November 06 2017 - FT LAUDERDALE Florida - Culture Room (USA)
Tue November 07 2017 - ORLANDO Florida - Beacham (USA)
Thu November 09 2017 - WASHINGTON District of Columbia - Lincoln Theatre (USA)
Fri November 10 2017 - NEW HAVEN Connecticut - College Street Music Hall (USA)
Sat November 11 2017 - BOSTON Massachusetts - Berklee Performance Center (USA)
Sun November 12 2017 - NORTHAMPTON Massachusetts - Calvin Theatre (USA)
Mon November 13 2017 - NEW YORK New York - Town Hall (USA)
Tue November 14 2017 - BROOKLYN New York - Brooklyn Steel (USA)
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