It’s been nearly four years since Animal Joy, the last set of original songs from Shearwater. (Fellow Travelers, which came out the next year, was comprised of covers.) Now, the Austin group is back with a surprising new look and sound: if lead single “Quiet Americans” is any indication, January’s Jet Plane and Oxbow finds the group largely abandoning the animalistic bone-shuddering of previous records in favor of cold analog synths.
Frontman Jonathan Meiburg enlisted the help of percussionist and film composer Brian Reitzell, who worked with Sofia Coppola on The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation, and The Bling Ring, and who brings to the band the same melancholic sense of melody that he brought to those films. It’s a surprisingly comfortable fit for Meiburg’s famously dramatic vocal delivery.
You can hear the fruits of that collaboration below, and see the album’s art and track list. Additionally, Shearwater will be playing a few dates in February; those shows are listed below, too.
Jet Plane and Oxbow track list
1. Prime
2. Quiet Americans
3. A Long Time Away
4. Backchannels
5. Filaments
6. Pale Kings
7. Only Child
8. Glass Bones
9. Wildlife in America
10. Radio Silence
11. Stray Lights At Clouds Hill
Shearwater tour dates
February
3 – Austin, TX – North Door
4 – Dallas, TX – Club Dada
6 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
Jet Plane and Oxbow is out January 22 on Sub Pop.
