The Walkmen went on “extreme hiatus” in 2014, after 14 years and seven albums. But singer Hamilton Leithauser immediately embarked on a solo career, recording and releasing the joyful Black Hours last year, which he wrote and recorded with Walkmen guitarist Paul Maroon. (It sounded a lot like The Walkmen, which should come as no surprise.)
Today we’ve got the exclusive announcement that Leithauser and Maroon have another project ready to roll, this one credited to both of their names. Dear God is the result of a near-constant collaboration between the two, which we’ll let Maroon explain: “Hamilton and I have exchanged songs every couple days for over 15 years now. There are probably about 500 of them, often just one instrument with singing. Their mood is different from any record we’ve been a part of, pretty quiet and pretty lonely sounding. For one reason or another, we’ve kept these recordings to ourselves. Dear God is made up of our best songs from the past year, kept in their original form.”
The album consists of nine originals and four covers, of songs by Don Gibson, Will Oldham, Tom Paxton, and VF Stewart, and it will be available on vinyl only, via the duo’s Etsy site. Rather than bonus tracks or some kind of cheap poster, the “limited-edition” version of the already limited LP will include hand delivery by Maroon and/or Leithauser, an offer only available in New York City or Washington, DC. Here’s an exclusive listen to the lonesome “Proud Irene.” Enoy.