In 2018, Okkervil River released In The Rainbow Rain, their ninth album that arrived 16 years after the group’s 2002 debut, Don’t Fall In Love With Everyone You See. Now, all those years later, leader Will Sheff is going at it alone for the first time: He announced his debut solo album, Nothing Special, is set for release on October 7.
Sheff says of the song’s video, “I think of the ‘Estrangement Zone’ video as a kind of magical spell the crew and I were trying to cast — a parable about endings and beginnings happening simultaneously.”
He also noted of his album:
“When I was just a kid, I got caught up in the dream of being a rock and roll star. Like so many other young people, I fell in love with the idea of being called to this glorious path outside of ordinary life. And I ended up in a band with people who felt this same call — especially our brilliant drummer Travis Nelsen, who was like a brother to me. We would trade tales of hilarious antics and outrageous excess and tragic death like they were almost scripture. Travis and I fell out painfully, and he died in the early weeks of lockdown. I think a big part of Nothing Special centers around grieving for him, grieving for everything my friends have lost, grieving for the rock and rock and roll myth, and trying to open my eyes to a more transcendent reality.”
Watch the “Estrangement Zone’ video above and find the Nothing Special art and tracklist below, as well as Sheff’s upcoming tour dates. Also revisit our 2018 interview with Sheff here.
1. “The Spiral Season”
2. “In The Thick Of It”
3. “Estrangement Zone”
4. “Nothing Special”
5. “Holy Man”
6. “Like The Last Time”
7. “Marathon Girl”
8. “Evidence”
10/07 — Los Angeles, CA @ Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever (Release Show)
11/03 — Iowa City, IA @ Englert Theatre
11/04 — Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center
11/05 — Chicago, IL @ Old Town School of Folk Music
11/06 — Milwaukee, WI @ Collectivo
11/08 — Bloomington, IN @ Buskirk-Chumley Theater
11/09 — Grand Rapids @ Pyramid Scheme
11/10 — Toronto, ON @ Great Hall
11/11 — Ferndale, MI @ Otus Supply
11/13 — Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
11/14 — Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle
11/15 — Washington DC @ Black Cat
11/17 — Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live
11/18 — New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge
11/19 — Woodstock, NY @ Colony
11/20 — Somerville, MA @ Crystal Ballroom
11/21 — Portland, ME @ Space
Nothing Special is out 10/7 via ATO Records. Pre-order it here.