It’s been nearly five months since Ryan Adams released something. For the famously prolific songwriter, that’s practically an eternity.
Luckily for us, his eighth solo album, Ashes & Fire, comes out on Oct. 11. It’s a stellar folk-rock effort with just enough twang to let Adams hold onto his “alt-country” descriptor. (Apparently he has gotten over his brief fascination with metal, which is probably for the best).
Ryan Adams is older now—and married—and so naturally the music he creates is a little less bleak than that found on his 2000 masterpiece, Heartbreaker. But don’t worry, Ashes & Fire still contains plenty of torment to go around. Take this exclusive video of Adams performing “Dirty Rain,” for example. It’s a slow, bittersweet used-to-be-in-love song reminiscent of something that might have been written by a young Van Morrison. It’s the perfect tune to play on repeat this autum as you stare out the window and contemplate the changing leaves.
Ashes & Fire can be pre-ordered on Amazon (here) or iTunes (here).