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Sep 07, 2018 Okkervil River By Christopher Roberts Photography by Shervin Lainez

Okkervil River (the project of Will Sheff and backing band) released a new album, In the Rainbow Rain, back in April via ATO. Now they have shared two new songs, “New Blood” and “Skiptracer.” Both are album outtakes and are being released in conjunction with their September tour dates. The well-paced “New Blood” has a bit of a ‘70s vibe and features an effective use of backing vocals. At seven-minutes long, “Skiptracer” is more of a slow builder, a song to get lost in. Listen to both below, followed by the band’s upcoming tour dates.

Sheff had this to say about the songs in a press release: “I wrote a ton of songs for the album…. Some of these songs that didn’t end up on the record were very dear to me, and I was excited to get a chance to come back and put on the finishing touches.”

Read our somewhat recent The End interview on endings and death with Okkervil River’s Will Sheff.

Previously Okkervil River shared In the Rainbow Rain‘s first single, “Don’t Move Back to LA” (which was one of our Songs of the Week), as well as a strange and cinematic video for “Pulled Up the Ribbon” (which was also one of our Songs of the Week), a video for “Don’t Move Back to LA,” and the audio for album opener “Famous Tracheotomies.”

Sheff self-produced In the Rainbow Rain, which was mixed by Shawn Everett (Perfume Genius, The War on Drugs). The album is the follow-up to 2016’s Away. Sheff’s backing band for In the Rainbow Rain is Benjamin Lazar Davis (bass), Will Graefe (guitar), Sarah Pedinotti (keys), and Cully Symington (percussion)-Sheff’s band on the Away tour. Sheff reflected on that tour in a previous press release: “It was my favorite touring experience in many years… I felt like a kid again. I realized how phenomenally lucky I am that I’ve been able to play music for this long.”

Sheff began writing In the Rainbow Rain right after the 2016 Presidential election. “If December 2016 was good for anything, it was good for writing songs,” he said in the previous press release.

Okkervil River Tour Dates:

U.S. September Dates:

13 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY
14 - Asbury Lanes - Asbury Park, NY
15 - Underground Arts - Philadelphia, PA

September:

19 Salon IKSA, ISTANBUL, TR
21 Reeperbahn Festival, HAMBURG-NORD, DE
22 Vega Small Hall, Copenhagen, DK
23 Rockefeller Music Hall, OSLO, NO
24 Debaser Strand, STOCKHOLM, SE
26 Lido, BERLIN, DE
27 Gebäude 9, KOLN, DE
28 Sugar Factory, AMSTERDAM, NL
29 Rotown Rotterdam, ROTTERDAM, NL
30 Le Botanique, SAIT-JOSSE-TEN-NOODE, BE

October:

01 Point Ephemere, PARIS, FR
03 Glee Club, BIRMINGHAM, UK
04 Thekla, BRISTOL, UK
05 Brudenell Social Club, LEEDS, UK
06 Stereo, GLASGOW, UK
07 Gorilla, MANCHESTER, UK
09 The Haunt, BRIGHTON, UK
10 Koko, LONDON, UK
12 Roisin Dubh, GALWAY, IE
13 The Grand Social, DUBLIN, IE

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