Over his last two albums, 2012’s Maraqopa and 2014’s Brothers and Sisters of the Eternal Son, Damien Jurado has been telling one story. Made in close collaboration with producer Richard Swift, the records have followed an unnamed character as he loses his way home as he heads out to find himself. Now, Jurado and Swift are set to conclude the tale with the final LP of the trilogy, Visions of Us on the Land, set for a March 18th release via Secretly Canadian.
The album artwork for the new record can be seen above, while the lead single, “Exit 353”, can be heard below. The track ambles along on guitars that recall the rambling psychedelic rock of the ’70s, while strings and piano notes harken to the baked desert scores of Hollywood Western. It’s a blurred, reverberating expanse of sound, once again proving how successfully Jurado has transitioned through genres, reaching a point where it all comes together in one powerful, evocative track.
“‘Exit 353’ was the first song I wrote for this new album,” Jurado told NPR about the track, “and I initially wasn’t sure about it. When it came time for me to be in the studio, sitting in front of the microphone, I hesitated as to whether or not I would actually perform it once I received the signal from Richard [Swift] that we were recording. I over-counted the beginning and just sang it through. When the take was finished, Richard turned to me and said, ‘I think this could be a great single.’ Living in the fresh uncertainty of what I had just recorded, I just had to lean into it and trust his instinct.”
Check out the track below.
