Sufjan Stevens

Javelin (Asthmatic Kitty)

Contact Jessica Linker, Jacob Daneman, Yuri Kwon about Sufjan Stevens

Sufjan Stevens releases his new single/video, “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?,” from his highly anticipated forthcoming album, Javelin, out October 6th on Asthmatic Kitty Records. Javelin bridges all of Stevens’ approaches like never before, and “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?” synthesizes the acoustic intimacy of his early work with the orchestral and electronic grandeur of his most recent. Following lead single “So You Are Tired,” named Best New Track by Pitchfork for its “effortless elegance,” “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?” offers another heart shattering glimpse at Javelin’s vulnerable contours. Beginning with just finger-plucked strings and Stevens’ inimitable voice, “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?” reaches one of the most cathartic heights of his diverse discography: “Will anybody ever love me?/For good reasons/Without grievance, not for sport/Will anybody ever love me?/In every season/Pledge allegiance to my heart/Pledge allegiance to my burning heart.”

 

On the self-produced “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?,” Stevens plays every instrument with additional vocals from adrienne maree brown, Hannah Cohen, and Megan Lui. Comments from each on working with Stevens are below, along with additional thoughts from the “Will Anybody Ever Love Me?” video director and longtime Stevens collaborator, Stephen Halker.

 

“The first time I sang the song I started crying, I was so moved by the honesty of the questions. Sufjan is an impossibly brave and gifted writer.”

– adrienne maree brown

 

“Being in the studio with Sufjan is like watching an alchemist at work. He creates a new realm, building our voices from a gentle choir, then morphing us into sirens raging from the sea.”

– Hannah Cohen

 

“‘Will Anybody Ever Love Me?’ felt like a glimpse into Sufjan’s past records but spins into an epic collage of voices and instruments. His vision of melody and composition are astonishing and working with him and Hannah in the room was pure joy.”

– Megan Lui

 

“This piece serves as an exploration into the intricate landscapes of the human psyche, akin to an open invitation to wander through the vast emotional domains of the mind. It illustrates the journey from surface-level facades to the profound yearnings, vulnerabilities, and fixations that reside within the human heart.

 

I was playing with this concept by putting these two dimensional collaged icons into three dimensional spaces that slowly become less and less tethered to the real world. We can never truly Know each other, we all just live with our own somewhat flattened interpretations of those around us. The less we are deeply known, the less we can be deeply loved.

 

Will anybody ever love me?  I don’t know.”

– Stephen Halker

 

Javelin pairs musical sweep with emotional breadth. At times, it has the feel of a big team album production — but it is decidedly not: almost every sound here is the result of Stevens at home, building by himself what sometimes feels like a testament to ‘70s Los Angeles studio opulence. Whether listened to individually or as an album, Javelin’s 10 songs become something much bigger, the entire experience of Stevens’ 25-year career brought to bear in four-minute bursts of choral, orchestral, and electric wonder. As Stevens’ first album in full singer-songwriter mode since 2015’s Carrie & Lowell, Javelin begins like a self-portrait, detailed yet plain. This is Stevens at his most intimate, calling back to Seven Swans or Carrie & Lowell and then calling you close to share in its internal reckoning.

 

Independent record stores across the world will be hosting Javelin listening parties on September 19th outside of North America and October 3rd in North America. Participating stores and times in the US are included below, and a full list of international cities and stories is available here. The events are free to attend. Each store will have wristbands for pickup in advance to reserve a spot, and the first 30 attendees at each store will be given a poster. Additionally, the album will be available for early purchase.

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