beast epic. n. A long, usually allegorical verse narrative in which the characters are animals with human feelings and motives.

With its first album of new material in over four years, Iron & Wine is proud to announce the new album, Beast Epic. Of the album, Sam Beam states “I have been and always will be fascinated by the way time asserts itself on our bodies and our hearts. The ferris wheel keeps spinning and we’re constantly approaching, leaving or returning to something totally unexpected or startlingly familiar. The rite of passage is an image I’ve returned to often because I feel we’re all constantly in some stage of transition. Beast Epic is saturated with this idea but in a different way simply because each time I return to the theme, I’ve collected new experiences to draw from. Where the older songs painted a picture of youth moving wide-eyed into adulthood’s violent pleasures and disappointments, this collection speaks to the beauty and pain of growing up after you’ve already grown up. For me, that experience has been more generous in its gifts and darker in its tragedies.”

Tracklisting:

1. Claim Your Ghost

2. Thomas County Law

3. Bitter Truth

4. Song in Stone

5. Summer Clouds

6. Call It Dreaming

7. About a Bruise

8. Last Night

9. Right for Sky

10. The Truest Stars We Know

11. Our Light Miles

Deluxe/loser version available via LP ONLY featuring 5 exclusive tracks:

1. Hearts Walk Anywhere

2. Kicking the Old Rain

3. About a Bruise (demo)

4. Claim Your Ghost (demo)

5. Summer Clouds (demo)

Pre-order the album on LP and CD via Iron & Wine’s web shop or Sub Pop records.