Photo Credit: Steve Gullick

Cass McCombs has announced the re-release of his first three projects, EP Not the Way (2002), A (2003) and PREfection (2005), set to premiere on Sept. 6 via 4AD. The pairing choice selections chronicle the formative years of the artist’s career. In a display of the project’s timelessness, McCombs previewed the upcoming reissue with a brand new demo of PREfection’s “Sacred Heart,” as well as a music video for the track.

Remastered at Abbey Road Studios, this reissue marks the first printing of McCombs’ initial records since their releases by Monitor Records and 4AD nearly two decades ago. The Sept. 2024 offerings arrive complete with digital, CD and vinyl formats, the latter pressed on black vinyl in their original sleeves with an OBI strip and new art inside. That day, McCombs is also set to release 2000-2004 Demos, Live and Radio, a limited-edition cassette, via Orindal. 

Directed and filmed by skater Jerry Hsu, the “Sacred Heart (Demo)” music video captures fleeting snippets of daily life. Though very few of the short clips reappear as the video continues, the camera frequently returns to focus on a singular candle, which blooms open, lights up, then fizzles out with the song’s progression. Where the original track’s instrumentals complement the vocals, on “Sacred Heart (Demo),” McCombs’ melodies are softer and more ethereal. This textural shift, paired with the contrasting moments of movement and stillness in Hsu’s video, brings the sense of distance that underlies the project to life.

Along with the album news, McCombs revealed his upcoming As Paint On Fur Tour, which begins with a Sept. 19 show at Moe’s Alley in Santa Cruz, Calif. Following this initial performance in his home state, the singer-songwriter will travel north to San Francisco on Sept. 20 for a performance at The Chapel, then back south to Los Angeles’ Lodge Room on Sept. 21.  alternative outfit Papercuts will join McCombs for all three Golden State shows. Later that week, McCombs will venture East with soft-rock ensemble Advance Base for a show at Brooklyn, N.Y.’s Music Hall of Williamsburg on Sept. 25 and continue at Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia on Sept. 26 before coming to a close the next night, Sept. 27, at Baltimore’s Ottobar.  

Fans can pre-order Not the Way, A and PREfection now and watch the video for “Sacred Heart (Demo)” here. Tickets and more information are available here, and upcoming tour dates are listed below.

Upcoming Cass McCombs Tour 

Sept. 19 – Moe’s Alley – Santa Cruz, Calif*

Sept. 20 – The Chapel – San Francisco*

Sept. 21 – Lodge Room – Los Angeles*

Sept. 25 – Music Hall of Williamsburg – Brooklyn, N.Y.^

Sept. 26 – Johnny Brenda’s – Philadelphia^

Sept. 27 – Ottobar – Baltimore^

 * w/ Papercuts 

^ w/ Advance Base