Today, Rhett Miller announced his new album The Misfit with the dreamy and reflective debut single “Follow You Home,” featuring vocals from Cassandra Jenkins and Annie Nero. The album marks his first solo full length album in four years and will be released on September 16 via ATO Records. The Misfit, now available for pre-order, was co-written and produced by Miller’s Hudson Valley, NY neighbor Sam Cohen (Kevin Morby, Sharon Van Etten, Danger Mouse) and continues their musical partnership that began on 2018’s The Messenger.
Listen to “Follow You Home” via YouTube.
“When you’re young, you imagine a perfect scenario for how your life will unfold, and of course it doesn’t turn out that way,” explains Miller. “I never thought I’d live out in the country north of New York City, or that I’d be one of only a handful of middle-class musicians who are able to make a good living. ‘Follow You Home’ came from wrestling with the idea of home as a place I never would’ve pictured—and yet I can’t imagine having wound up anywhere else.”
The 11 songs that comprise The Misfit are an elegant blurring of psychedelia, dream pop, and electronic-leaning indie rock, grounded by the vulnerable songwriting and unaffected vocal presence Miller has perfected as the frontman for legendary alt-country band Old 97's for the last three decades.
“Making this album was the closest thing I’d ever experienced to being part of something magic,” Miller explains of his collaborative process with Sam Cohen. “As we were working we kept returning to the relationship between David Bowie and Brian Eno and the records they made together, and how fearless they were in their approach to finding the songs,” says Miller of the collaborative process. “It turned into a routine where every morning I’d leave home and drive over the mountain to his house, and by that evening we’d have a rough mix of a new song. The speed of creation was absolutely wild; in some ways I can’t even believe it happened.”
In selecting the cover art for The Misfit, Miller reached out to globally renowned painter Ashley Longshore, who he first connected with on his podcast, “Wheels Off.” “I knew The Misfit needed a cover that was otherworldly in its colors and its feel, so I contacted Ashley knowing it was a long shot. She connected with the songs, and the piece she created was so beautiful and thoughtful and perfect. It adds a whole new level of artistry to the album, and now anyone who gets the vinyl can have an Ashley Longshore painting of their own.”
The Misfit tracklist:
1) Heart Attack Days
2) Follow You Home
3) Go Through You
4) Already There
5) Just When It Gets Good
6) Beautiful Life
7) Fascination
8) The White Tops
9) Let Me Go There With You
10) Twelve Thirty Four
11) You’ll Be Glad
Upcoming Rhett Miller Tour Dates:
7/13 - Richmond, VA - Richmond Music Hall
7/14 - Asheville, SC - The Grey Eagle
7/15 - Greenville, SC - The Radio Room
7/16 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
7/16 - Annapolis, MD - Rams Head On Stage
7/17 - Amagansett, NY - The Stephen Talkhouse
7/28 - Aurora, IL - The Venue
7/29 - Evanston, IL - SPACE
7/30 - Wapakoneta, OH - Route 33 Rhythm & Brews
11/5 - Beacon NY - Towne Crier
Upcoming Old 97’s Tour Dates:
8/18 - Columbia, MO - Rose Park
8/19 - St Louis, MO - The Factory at the District
8/20 - Little Rock, AR - The Rev Room
9/13 - Montgomery, NY - City Winery Hudson Valley
9/14 - Syracuse, NY - The Lost Horizon
9/15 - Buffalo, NY - Rec Room
9/16 - Ardmore, PA - Ardmore Music Hall
9/17 - Hummelstown, PA - The Englewood Barn
9/18 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage
9/20 - Newport, KY - The Southgate House
9/21 - Columbus, OH - The Bluestone
9/22 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
9/23 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrew’s Hall
9/24 - Grand Rapids, MI - Elevation at The Intersection
9/25 - Milwaukee, WI - The Rave II
9/27 - Madison, WI - Majestic Theatre
9/28 - LaCrosse, WI - Cavalier Theater
9/29 - Des Moines, IA - Wooly's
9/30 - La Cygne, KS - Firewater Music Festival
10/1 - Indianapolis, IN - The Hi-Fi Annex
10/2 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall
