Though he’s kept busy producing the new Mavis Staples record, we last heard music from M. Ward about a year ago, when he and Zooey Deschanel released their fifth LP, Classics. Now, Him is back with More Rain, his first solo record since 2012’s A Wasteland Companion. You watch the mysterious video for the upbeat, Moog-driven single “Girl From Conejo Valley” below.
While more upbeat than its predecessor, More Rain nevertheless finds Ward in a contemplative mood. “I think one of the biggest mysteries of America right now is this: How are we able to process unending bad news on Page One and then go about our lives the way the Style section portrays us?” he said in a statement. “There must be a place in our brains that allows us to take a bird’s-eye view of humanity, and I think music is good at helping people—myself included—go to that place.”
Ward began work on More Rain in 2012, originally imagining it as a lo-fi doo-wop record comprised entirely of his own voice. Eventually, the project expanded to include collaborations with R.E.M.‘s Peter Buck, Neko Case, k.d. lang, Nashville singing duo The Secret Sisters, and Joey Spampinato of country-rock pioneers NRBQ.
Check out “Girl From Conejo Valley” below, then keep scrolling for More Rain‘s track list and artwork.
More Rain track list
“More Rain”
“Pirate Dial”
“Time Won’t Wait”
“Confession”
“I’m Listening (Child’s Theme)”
“Girl from Conejo Valley”
“Slow Driving Man”
“You’re So Good To Me”
“Temptation”
“Phenomenon”
“Little Baby”
“I’m Going Higher”
More Rain is out March 4 on Merge.
