Joan Shelley Announces “Real Warmth,” and Shares Communal Lead Single “Everybody”

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In a follow-up to 2022’s The Spur, acclaimed songwriter Joan Shelley will release her seventh album, Real Warmth, on September 19th via No Quarter. Alongside the announcement, she has shared the beautifully inviting lead single, “Everybody.”

The new record was born from a series of snowy mid-winter sessions in Toronto at Casa Wroxton studios. Engineered and produced by Ben Whiteley (The Weather Station, Jake Xerxes Fussell), the process was driven by a sense of immediacy against a fraught political backdrop. “We had a few windows in mid-winter and it really felt like there was an urgency to capture a moment in time with these songs, performances, people involved, and against the political backdrop”, Whiteley explained, adding, “The record really feels like a capture instead of a meticulous construction. Part of Joan’s concept was not only to go to a place but to draw on the community of musicians from that place.”

Embracing this spirit, Shelley’s concept involved drawing upon Toronto’s rich musical community. The album features drummer Philippe Melanson, saxophonist Karen Ng, and vocal contributions from Doug Paisley and Tamara Lindeman (The Weather Station), alongside her longtime musical partner, guitarist Nathan Salsburg. The cover art was painted by Toronto artist Heather Goodchild.

This collaborative energy shines on “Everybody,” a track that writer Ryan Davis, in an accompanying essay, calls a “truly classic-feeling song” that unfolds with organic grace. It radiates the album’s titular warmth, a quality Davis notes is present throughout the record. He describes the album as having a “fellowship” and “unforced gentleness,” creating a sound that is both beautiful and deeply resonant with the present moment.

Shelley will support Real Warmth with a North American tour this fall, with tickets going on sale this week. Key dates include Toronto’s Monarch Tavern (Oct 16th), Brooklyn’s Public Records (Oct 22nd), Chicago’s Constellation (Nov 21st), and a hometown show at Louisville’s The Whirling Tiger (Nov 23rd).

Joan Shelley Live Dates

Oct 16^th. – Monarch Tavern – Toronto, ON
Oct 18^th – The Parlor Room – Northampton, MA
Oct 19^th – Nova Arts – Keene, NH
Oct 21^st – Passim – Boston, MA
Oct 22^nd – Public Records – Brooklyn, NY
Oct 23^rd – Harmonie Hall – Philadelphia, PA
Nov 21^st – Constellation – Chicago, IL
Nov 23^rd – The Whirling Tiger – Louisville, KY

Real Warmth Tracklisting

1. Here in the High and Low
2. On the Silver and Gold
3. Field Guide to Wild Life
4. Wooden Boat
5. For When You Can’t Sleep
6. Everybody
7. New Anthem
8. Heaven Knows
9. Ever Entwine
10. Give It Up, It’s Too Much
11. The Orchard
12. Who Do You Want Checking in on You
13. The Hum

Pre-Order Real Warmth: https://joanshelley.bandcamp.com/album/real-warmth