Tamino and Mitski release lovely new duet "Sanctuary"

After singing a tender duet with Katie Gavin called “As Good As It Gets” last fall, Mitski is getting back into the collaborator seat. Today, she released a new single with Tamino called “Sanctuary,” which will appear on his forthcoming album, Every Dawn’s A Mountain. 

Written in collaboration with Tamino’s friend Alessandro Buccellati (who has previously worked with the likes of SZA and Arlo Parks), “Sanctuary” beautifully weaves together both artists’ vocals over a gentle acoustic track, while also letting them shine on their own. “Is it late where you are/Does my call disturb you/In the peace of your war/In the comfort of the dark,” they sing together, after laying out separate heartaches in the first two verses.

Mitski and Tamino were fans of each other before becoming collaborators and tour mates. In a press release, Tamino explains how he had already written a draft of the song but had doubts a few hours before their scheduled studio session. After a quick rewrite, the final version of “Sanctuary” was born. Mitski then stepped in the studio to write her harmonies and recorded her part in half a day.

The fact that there’s a second voice on what is “otherwise a very personal record, makes the track a bit of an outlier,” Tamino said. “Still, it feels like an essential track on this album. I won’t analyze it here, but suffice it to say that I can’t imagine this record without it. Apart from that, it’s also a pinch me moment every time I hear Mitski’s voice soaring over ‘Sanctuary,’ especially when I think back to my time in Amsterdam (when he first discovered Mitski’s Puberty 2) where it soared over many days.”

Tamino describes Every Dawn’s A Mountain as an album about “loss, displacement, breaking up and letting go of the past.” It comes out March 21. He’s also planning an international tour, which kicks off March 6 in Rome. You can buy tickets and find more information here.