Sufjan Stevens may have released the compelling, synth-heavy album The Ascension back in September, but with his contribution to a new collaborative single, Stevens is going back to his folksy roots. The singer joined CARM, the new band composed of CJ Camerieri, Justin Vernon, and a few of their friends, for the quiet single “Song Of Trouble.”
“Song Of Trouble” arrives just ahead of CARM’s self-titled debut LP and will appear as the album opener. Singing the lyrics he penned for the track, Stevens tenderly details the troublesome thoughts that plague him at night over the song’s iridescent keys.
Speaking about the single in a statement, Camerieri praised Stevens’ contributions: “Sufjan’s use of orchestral instruments helped set the stage for everything I’ve done in my career.”
Artist Nick Weber, who painted the single art upon hearing the song for the first time, said, “When I first listened to ‘Song of Trouble,’ I thought of Psalm 23:4 ‘though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…’ words I’ve heard in my mind while painting my Night Series,” Weber said. “Night is a time of quietude, where visual elements–trees, cars, etc. are reduced to simple geometric shapes, shadows and light; a time of no distractions, all the world asleep, no one around to protect us from our demons. A realization can be urgent like a siren, even though we might only whisper it softly–that is how CJ’s trumpet accompanies Sufjan’s words; at once both bold and quiet, and somehow coming from within the listener.”
Listen to Stevens and CARM’s “Song Of Trouble” above.
CARM is out 1/22 via 37d03d. Pre-order it here.