Sufjan Stevens is in the midst of perhaps the most productive stretch of his career. In 2020 and 2021 alone, he has released four total albums: 2020 brought the Lowell Brams collaboration Aporia and the solo effort The Ascension, while this year has yielded the solo album Convocations and September’s joint project with Angelo De Augustine called A Beginner’s Mind. Now, though, it appears Stevens is looking to take some time off to unwind.
In a recent interview with WYNC (as Exclaim notes), Stevens declared that it may be a while before he releases a new album, saying, “I’m always working on something, and I always have like three albums just on the sidelines, waiting to happen. But, I think it’s time for me to take a break, you know? And step back and just be, and listen.”
Exclaim also notes that this isn’t the first time Stevens has said something like this in recent times, as in a 2020 interview about The Ascension, he told the publication, “It’ll probably be another five years before I have another record. So I might as well get as much as I can.” Of course, after The Ascension, he promptly proceeded to release two more albums.
While Stevens has been busy lately, his career hasn’t been without lengthy breaks between releases, as his four most recent solo albums (before this year’s Convocations) arrived about five years apart: There’s 2005’s Illinois, 2010’s The Age Of Adz, 2015’s Carrie & Lowell, and 2020’s The Ascension.