Almost as if she knew we needed her in times like these, Liz Harris will be releasing her next album as Grouper next month. Shade is out October 22nd via Kranky, and today, the ambient musician has shared the album’s latest single, “Ode to the blue.” Check it below via its accompanying music video.
As to be expected of anything with Harris’ name attached, “Ode to the blue” is hushed and spare, with her delicate vocals nearly slipping away into the background. Some of the material on Shade was written as long as 15 years ago, and “Ode to the blue” features the same style of lo-fi acoustic guitar work that comprised many early Grouper tracks.
The music video for the song comes from director Dicky Bahto. It’s correspondingly haunting and mild, showing black-and-white film footage of couples kissing in a cemetery (hot!). “I needed the reminder that the end of the world is always happening somewhere, and even if we don’t survive the end of our world, we might as well enjoy the pleasures of love,” Bahto explained in a statement.
Harris’ last Grouper record, Grid of Points, arrived in 2018. “Ode to the blue” follows her latest single, “Unclean mind.” Pre-orders for Shade are ongoing now.