Andrew Bird has announced a new holiday album titled Hark!, which will be released on Oct. 30. The full-length album builds on Bird’s EP of the same name, which came out last year. In addition to the album announcement, Bird also shared a single: a cover of John Cale’s “Andalucia,” which comes along with an official video.
The 13-song album will include originals–such as “Christmas in April” which Bird wrote during the lockdown–as well as holiday classics and covers of John Cale, John Prine and Handsome Family. Bird announced via press release that after the initial digital release on Oct. 30, Hark! will be available on vinyl on Nov. 13.
“There’s an original tune I wrote in April during the most disorienting phase of the pandemic, when I couldn’t help but wonder where we’ll be when the holidays come, if we could be together or not,” said Bird via press release. “I’ve been writing a lot of songs inspired by this uninspiring predicament. Let’s hope they all become obsolete as soon as possible.”
“Let’s not talk about the dubious motives that might lead an artist to make a holiday record. It’s a complicated relationship many of us have with the holidays and the requisite music we hear,” he said of the album. “So let’s admit that it’s a utilitarian thing. The music is just one contributing factor to our communal or solitary joy and melancholy. As a musician, it’s an excuse to take a break from writing the next record and indulge in an unapologetically nostalgic exercise. I’ve done my best to find some lesser known gems. A passing reference to wintertime sentiment is all it takes to make the cut on Hark!“
The video for “Andalucia” was created by production designer, illustrator and filmmaker Abigail Portner. Watch it below.
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