Even by Fleet Foxes standards, the new track “If You Need To, Keep Time On Me” is mellow. The overwhelmingly serene track isn’t surprising given the band’s history but it is at odds with the song’s subject matter. Over a peaceful and consistent strum, Robin Pecknold sings of some sudden tumult.
“How could it all fall in one day?” he sings. “Were we too sure of the sun?”
Fleet Foxes is clearly dealing with confusion in the wake of a calamity. The song is all questions about what happened and what comes next. But through it all, the band’s instrumentation acts as a steady hand, guiding the listener through like the one member of every friend group that you can set your watch by. Give it a listen up top.
Crack-Up drops on June 16 but fans can hear it tomorrow via NPR’s First Listen series. Given what we’ve heard already in songs like “Third Of May / Ōdaigahara” and “Fools Errand,” it seems like Crack-Up will be more than worthy of the legacy built by albums like Fleet Foxes and Helplessness Blues. And the band will likely continue to be a must-see live, so go ahead and snag some tickets to their massive tour.
