Four Tet (born Kieran Hebden) and William Tyler (born William Tyler) have announced their debut collaborative album, 41 Longfield Street Late ’80s. Their first single, an 11-minute cover of Lyle Lovett’s 1988 country classic “If I Had a Boat,” is out now. The recording begins meditatively enough, with ambient electronics creating a landscape atop which Tyler eventually showcases his otherworldly guitar skills. In terms of faithfulness to the original, it’s a 0/10; in terms of being badass, it‘s a 10/10.
Regarding the collaboration, Hebden noted that the two originally linked up at Bonnaroo in 2013. “Every now and then the idea would come up of us working together,” he shared. “We first tried it remotely, sending ideas back and forth, which resulted in our 12-inch release, Darkness, Darkness. The plan was to get into a studio together, which we managed in early 2022 in Los Angeles at Sargent Recorders where my friend Sam [Shepherd, a.k.a. Floating Points] had just made his album with Pharoah Sanders. We discussed references for an album and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Fennesz, and AM oldies radio stations came up. But the main influence was found when we discovered a shared deep connection to ‘80s American country and folk music—artists like Lyle Lovett, Nanci Griffith, and Joe Ely.”
Tyler added: “I think we both in our own specific ways want to recontextualize a lot of music that we grew up with, regardless of the genre, and I think that’s what this album reflects. It’s a lot of nostalgia but it’s also very forward focused. I don’t even know what genre I’m supposed to be in at this point, but I trust Kieran and I love what we’ve done together. He’s become a dear friend and I can’t wait to see what’s ahead for us.”
Check out “If I Had a Boat” below, and pre-order Longfield Street Late ’80s here ahead of its September 19 release via Temporary Residence Ltd.
