After more than a decade, The Autumn Defense will return with Here and Nowhere, their long-anticipated sixth studio album slated for an October 10 release on Yep Roc Records.
They have shared the first single “The Ones,” a track built on emotional contradictions with a gentle, easygoing feel that belies unsettled lyrics. Of the song, Pat Sasone offers: “‘The Ones’ is a meditation on impermanence, and wrestling with the loss of people and things that have been meaningful in a life. Musically, the song takes inspiration from some songs that were popular on the radio in my childhood, in which now I recognize a certain eeriness or disquiet. I thought this musical backdrop fit well with the theme of the fading of a familiar world.”
Their first album since 2014’s Fifth, Here and Nowhere picks up exactly where the band left off, infusing their breezy, harmony-drenched take on Laurel Canyon with lush orchestration and psychedelic flourishes. “It wasn’t intentional,” says Sansone. “We thought we’d take a short break from recording, but between our work with Wilco, other personal projects, and the disruption of the pandemic, ten years went by in the blink of an eye.”
Recorded in two free-flowing sessions at Nashville’s Creative Workshop, the album, produced and mixed by Pat Sasone, finds the band contemplating the passage of time, reckoning with what we lose, what we gain, and who we become along the way. “Old Hearts” blends melancholy reflection with a comforting glow, while “I’ll Take You Out Of Your Mind” and “Ravens Of The Wood” hints at Big Star; the tender “Old Hearts” channels Fred Neil and Harry Nilsson; and the buoyant “In The Beginning,” offering shades of Carole King’s Tapestry.
Founded by John Stirratt (Wilco, Uncle Tupelo) and Pat Sansone (Wilco) and featuring longtime rhythm section James Haggerty (bass) and Greg Wieczorek (drums), The Autumn Defense first emerged with 2001’s The Green Hour and has maintained the same core lineup for almost 20 years. While often categorized as a Wilco side project, the band’s sound has always been decidedly more West Coast than alt-country.
In support of the album, the band will embark on a nine-date fall tour, with stops throughout the Northeast and South, as well as a December West Coast show in Los Angeles. A complete list of tour dates is below, and tickets are available here.
The Autumn Defense Tour:
October 24 – Barns at Wolftrap – Vienna, VA
October 25 – Ardmore Music Hall, Philadelphia, PA
October 26 – Concert in the Studio – Freehold, NJ
October 28 – Iron Horse – Northampton, MA
October 29 – Arts at the Armory – Boston, MA
October 30 – Le Poisson Rouge – New York, NY
November 7 – Green Room – Memphis, TN
November 8 – 5 Spot – Nashville, TN
November 9 – Eddie’s Attic – Atlanta, GA
December 7 – The Lodge Room – Los Angeles, CA
