Last month, jazz trumpeter John Raymond and percussionist/Bon Iver collaborator S. Carey announced their debut collaborative album Shadowlands, which leaned further into the more ambient corners of the latter’s solo material. Now, the pair are sharing another single which adds Australian indie-pop songwriter Sophie Payten (a.k.a. Gordi) into the equation, providing a more anthemic feel to the record while maintaining the sense of wonder inspired by the natural world which the core collaborators seem to bring out in each other.
“‘Steadfast’ brings a new energy to the record,” Carey shares. “Starting out with just a drum groove and bassline recorded on Raymond’s phone, the song evolved significantly as we all passed ideas back and forth remotely… Collaborating with Sophie is always a dream. Her voice and lyrics are a perfect complement to the music. When we tracked it together as a full band, the interplay between everyone was electric.”
“When I sent her the song, the things she came back with elevated it immediately,” Raymond adds of working with Gordi (who will also appear on another album cut, “New Meaning”), while also shouting out the rest of the song’s contributors: Aaron Parks on piano, Dave Devine on guitar, Chris Morrissey on bass, and Ben Lester on pedal steel.
Check out the lyric video for the track below—which appropriately pairs the music with scenes of the outside world—and pre-order the record here.
