Shearwater - The New World

Format: LP
Catalogue No.: PLBR003LP
Barcode: 0617308050288
Release Date: 31 Jul 2026
Genre: Alternative

In the past quarter-century, those in the know have watched Shearwater slyly become one of the most distinctive and adventurous American bands. Led (as always) by songwriter and natural historian Jonathan Meiburg, The New World’s nine immersive songs find the group farther afield than ever, and in
rare company: along with Meiburg’s fellow Shearwaters Emily Lee and Dan Duszynski, the album’s supporting cast includes instrumental wizard Shahzad Ismaily, saxophonist and clarinetist Doug Wieselman, qanunist Farouz Zriek, guitarist Leo Abrahams, ngonist Mamadou Kouyate, percussionists Mahamadou Tounkara and Moctar Kouyate (of Ngoni Ba), and unclassifiable drummer Thor Harris. (There’s even a surprise visit from a certain L. Anderson.) That might sound like a lot of passengers, but they’re all ideal company for a headlong journey through joy, confusion, reverence and defiance, with Meiburg’s voice as a graceful yet elusive guide. Both spare and ornate, The New World is absorbing in a way few albums are; it’s hard not to listen to the end once you drop in.

TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
1. Even Song
2. More and More
3. Daydream Unbeliever
4. A Mink in the Dusk
5. The Only Sound I’m Afraid Of
SIDE B
1. The High Ranges
2. Slugs in the Marigolds
3. Anamnesia
4. You and Your Dog