Back in February, Sam Beam, the visionary multi-instrumentalist behind Iron & Wine, released his eighth full-length album, Hen’s Teeth. Today, he’s announcing Hen’s Teeth (Deluxe Edition), out on 22nd September via Sub Pop, featuring four previously unreleased songs along with acoustic versions of two fan favourites.
The record was born out of a series of spontaneous sessions in the Los Angeles foothills with engineer Dave Way and, according to Beam, the title Hen’s Teeth reflects the “impossible” nature of the record’s creation:
“To me it suggests the impossible. Hen’s teeth do not exist. And that’s what this record felt like: a gift that shouldn’t be there but it is. An impossible thing but it’s real.”
In Thomas Blake’s album review, he highlighted that the album was a sibling to 2024’s Light verse:
Songs for both albums were recorded at the same time and with the same band. But Hen’s Teeth is no offcuts album, no forgotten sibling. The two act as different sides of the same coin: Light Verse, as its name suggests, was full of space and playfulness. Hen’s Teeth is decidedly darker, with a more prominent seam of melancholy. The most notable exception is Robin’s Egg…which feels like it could have been written for (or by) the Roches. It’s a bounding, bright slice of 1970s-inspired Laurel Canyon prog-country, bursting with the lushest of vocal harmonies.
Now, thanks to the release of Hen’s Teeth (Deluxe Edition), we get to hear four new tracks from those same Los Angeles sessions. Released today, check out “California Sober” below. It was the last song written and recorded during the sessions, and arguably brighter than Robin’s Egg – the slice of Laurel Canyon mentioned above.
Along with California Sober, Iron & Wine is also sharing an acoustic version of the fan favourite: In Your Ocean.
Hen’s Teeth (Deluxe Edition) tracklist:
1. Roses
2. Paper and Stone
3. Robin’s Egg (featuring I’m With Her)
4. Singing Saw
5. In Your Ocean
6. Defiance, Ohio
7. Wait Up (featuring I’m With Her)
8. Grace Notes
9. Dates and Dead People
10. Half Measures
new tracks:
11. In Your Ocean (Acoustic)
12. Grace Notes (Acoustic)
13. Three Strangers
14. California Sober
15. Pilgrim’s Highway
16. Say What
Pre-Order Hen’s Teeth (Deluxe Edition) – https://music.subpop.com/ironandwine_hensteethdeluxeedition