Where the title track’s live reveal saw Kristian Matsson dabble with a fresh full-band sound, our first studio glimpse at The Tallest Man on Earth’s third LP, There’s No Leaving Now, brings a more seamless transition from the folky solo side of 2010’s The Wild Hunt and supplemental EP, Sometimes the Blues Is Just a Passing Bird. “I wanted to build something that didn’t sound like a rock band, but wasn’t super minimalistic,” he told Rolling Stone for their premiere of the MP3 today. “I wanted a sound that had that brittle [quality], that feeling that it might just fall apart.”
“1904” offers just that (save for the minimalism foray): an unpolished gem with hints of lead guitar that recall Graceland/Hearts and Bones-era Paul Simon, whom he’s covered. All told, we have a safe preview here, sure to please existing fans and recruit new ones — not to mention proof that Matsson can cook up a familiar formula in his new home studio. The stream/download is below: