Okkervil River's Will Sheff Details Solo LP 'Nothing Special', Drops New Song Estrangement Zone
Tuesday, 02 August 2022
Written by Jon Stickler
Photo: Bret Curry
Okkervil River's Will Sheff has announced his debut solo album.
'Nothing Special' will arrive on October 7 via ATO Records and feature the first single, Estrangement Zone, an atmospheric ballad that comes paired with a Johnny North-directed video below.
The LP features musical contributions from Okkervil River bandmates guitarist Will Graefe and bassist Benjamin Lazar Davis, as well as Christian Lee Hutson, Dawes drummer Griffin Goldsmith, and Death Cab For Cutie pianist Zac Rae.
There's also guest vocals from Cassandra Jenkins and Fruit Bats and Bonny Light Horseman's Eric D. Johnson, while engineering was handled by John Congleton, Matt Linesch, and Marshall Vore across three sessions. In a statement about it, Sheff said:
"When I was just a kid, I got caught up in the dream of being a rock and roll star. Like so many other young people, I fell in love with the idea of being called to this glorious path outside of ordinary life. And I ended up in a band with people who felt this same call – especially our brilliant drummer Travis Nelsen, who was like a brother to me. We would trade tales of hilarious antics and outrageous excess and tragic death like they were almost scripture. Travis and I fell out painfully, and he died in the early weeks of lockdown. I think a big part of Nothing Special centers around grieving for him, grieving for everything my friends have lost, grieving for the rock and rock and roll myth, and trying to open my eyes to a more transcendent reality."
Okkervil River's last full-length was 2018's 'In The Rainbow Rain'. Sheff will celebrate the follow-up at Los Angeles' Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever on release day, followed by a November tour around the Midwest and East Coast. Head here for details. He also plays a show at London's Omeara in March 2023. Tickets go on sale at 10am on August 5.
'Nothing Special' tracklist:
1. The Spiral Season
2. In The Thick Of It
3. Estrangement Zone
4. Nothing Special
5. Holy Man
6. Like The Last Time
7. Marathon Girl
8. Evidence
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