Devendra Banhart has shared a new track. ‘Let’s See‘ is taken from his forthcoming new four-song EP Vast Ovoid. The EP is to be released as a limited-edition 12” coloured vinyl 45 on July 24. Another EP track, a remix of Banhart’s Love Song by Helado Negro, was released in January. The EP is a follow-up to Banhart’s latest studio album, Ma, which was released to critical acclaim in September 2019.
Banhart says:
“This EP was born during the Ma recording sessions, three songs that didn’t quite fit in with Ma’s theme of maternity…Ultimately all three songs are about the difference between disappointment and disillusion…
Bigger difference than I realized….
Lots more freedom in disillusion, lots more breathing space…something is echoing out each day
between our distant bodies…
uncertainty has always been there, hasn’t it?
It’s scary…
But all the seeds for real change are actually starting to grow…
Onward we go … tend to the garden tend to the gardenKeep your guard up
Devendra Banhart
Keep your screws loose
Keep looking out for others
Keep checking in with your body
Keep returning to your breath
Tend to the garden.”
Ma, full of tender, autobiographical vignettes, displays a shift from the sonic experimentation of Banhart’s previous albums to an intricate, captivating story-telling and emotional intimacy. Banhart favours organic sounds to accompany his voice and guitar, the arrangements bolstered by strings, woodwinds, brass, and keyboards. He sings in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Devendra Banhart’s “Let’s See,” from the ‘Vast Ovoid’ limited-edition vinyl 12″, due July 24 on Nonesuch Records: https://smarturl.it/VastOvoid
Photo credit: Moses Berkson