Even before the announcement of a new project from Big Red Machine — Aaron Dessner and Bon Iver’s collaborative labor of love — Swifties have been investigating the project for Taylor features. Turns out fans were right on the money, as Taylor is a collaborator on not one but two songs on the album, “Renegade” and “Birch.” Tonight one of those songs, “Renegade,” is available for fans to hear, above, and Dessner shared the story behind the track as well.
He explained:
“While we were making Folklore and Evermore last year, Taylor and I sometimes talked about experimenting and writing songs together some day for Big Red Machine. Making music with your friends just to make it — that’s how Big Red Machine started and has grown — and that’s how ‘Renegade’ came about too. This song was something we wrote after we finished Evermore and it dawned on us that this was a BRM song. Taylor’s words hit me so hard when I heard her first voice memo and still do, every time. Justin lifted the song further into the heavens, and my brother [Bryce Dessner]’s strings and drummer Jason Treuting add so much. The feeling and sound of this song feel very much at the heart of How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?. I’m so grateful to Taylor for continuing to share her incredible talent with me and that we are still finding excuses to make music together.”
This is the third song shared from the new album, How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?, following up “Latter Days” and “The Ghost Of Cincinnati.”
Listen to “Renegade” above.
How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last? is out 8/27 via Jagjaguwar/37d03d. Pre-order it here.
