It's been 24 years since Beck released Sea Change, his bummed-out acoustic masterpiece. It's been 12 since he released the album's spiritual sequel, the more serene companion piece Morning Phase, a surprise Album Of The Year winner at the 2015 Grammys. Does that mean we're due for the third installment in a trilogy?
I don't know if there's a new acoustic Beck album coming, but I do know he's got a new single out today that taps back into that aesthetic. "Ride Lonesome" graces Beck's guitar and earnest baritone with cosmic country sounds and swirling orchestral beauty. The chorus does not strike me as particularly downcast or optimistic. It's more about the need to pick yourself up and press onward — putting your hand on the wheel and letting the golden age begin, I suppose.
Listen below.
"Ride Lonesome" is out now on Iliad/Capitol.
