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Aug 10, 2020 By Christopher Roberts Moses Sumney

Moses Sumney released a new double album, græ, back in May via Jagjaguwar. Now he has performed four songs for NPR Music’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concerts series, an adjusted version of NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concerts series taking into account social distancing during the pandemic. He did three tracks from græ—“Bless Me,” “Me in 20 Years,” and “Polly”—and then closed the set with “Rank and File,” from his 2018 EP Black in Deep Red, 2014. “Rank and File” was dedicated to George Floyd and recent Black Lives Matter protesters. The session almost appeared to be filmed on VHS. Watch it below.

Recently Sumney shared a video for the new track “Monumental,” one recorded for a new ad campaign for the fashion designer Thom Browne’s spring 2021 collection. It was Sumney’s modern take on “Olympic Hymn,” a song composed by Spyridon Samaras which includes Greek lyrics by poet Kostis Palamas. Sumney translated the song into English and added some somber strings and piano while he was it. “Monumental” was one of our Songs of the Week.

Previously Sumney shared græ’s first single, “Virile,” via a self-directed video for the track. “Virile” was one of our Songs of the Week. Sumney then shared another song from the first part, “Polly,” which is the final track of part one. Then he shared a new song from the second part, “Me in 20 Years,” via a lyric video (it was one of our Songs of the Week). Then he shared a new song from the first part, “Cut Me” (which was again one of our Songs of the Week) and debuted another song from part one, “Conveyor,” via a live video session at the Moog Sound Lab in Asheville, North Carolina. Sumney then stopped by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert to perform “Cut Me.” Then Sumney shared a visually striking self-directed video for “Cut Me.” Finally, Sumney shared the album’s final two songs, “Bless Me” and “Before You Go,” in one lyric video. “Bless Me” was one of our Songs of the Week. Then he shared a video for “Me in 20 Years.”

Græ is Sumney’s sophomore album, the follow-up to 2017’s full-length debut, Aromanticism, and 2018’s Black in Deep Red, 2014 EP. Aromanticism was our #1 Debut Album of 2017 and one of our overall Top 100 Albums of 2017. The album is his first since relocating to Asheville, North Carolina.

Read our 2017 interview with Moses Sumney on Aromanticism.

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