Angel Olsen has had a wildly prolific year. After debuting her towering record All Mirrors last October, the singer shared a handful of one-off covers. This August, she released the more stripped-down Whole New Mess. But dropping two records in less than a year hasn’t stopped her from continuing to write even more music.
With just a piano and her haunting lilt, Olsen delivers a soaring version of the new single “Time Bandit.” Her lyrics offer a hopeful message: “And laugh at it all when you’ve just had enough / And dance when you’re crying, get that spirit up.”
In a statement about the track, Olsen revealed the track was very new, but she couldn’t help but share it as soon as possible. “I wrote this after I came home from St. Louis a few weeks ago…against better judgement I’ve decided to put new songs up, it’s a business but it’s my business,” Olsen wrote.
Before sharing “Time Bandit,” Olsen drew from her early catalog for a performance on NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series. Performing from her tree-lined porch, she sang a medley of tracks from Whole New Mess as well as her song “Iota,” from the 2014 record Burn Your Fire For No Witness.
Listen to Olsen’s “Time Bandit” above and read our review of her Whole New Mess album here.