Okkervil River Release First New Song in Three Years, ‘In a Light’

Okkervil River have released a new song, “In a Light,” marking their first piece of new music since 2018.

“In a Light” is an expansive country-rock tune filled with organ, piano, pedal steel, rich harmonies, and intertwining guitar lines that occasionally take the song into spacier realms and lead an exuberant closing jam. Frontman Will Sheff explained in a statement that he wrote “In a Light” with guitarist Will Graefe, and that Okkervil River recorded it around the time they were making their 2018 album, In the Rainbow Rain, but that the song didn’t quite fit on that project.

Okkervil River had another song lying around as well, “It Hasn’t Happened Yet,” which will be released on Friday, May 14th. Sheff described the two songs as “two sides of the same coin, supporting each other by saying two different but complementary things. And even though I started them a couple of years in the past they both seem to want to talk about the present and future.”

Along with releasing “In a Light,” Sheff announced that he’ll be embarking on a solo Okkervil River tour this fall, co-headlining the shows with Damien Jurado. An East Coast run will kick off September 21st in Evanston, Illinois, and wrap October 7th in Holyoke, Massachusetts; a West Coast run will follow starting December 1st in Santa Ana, California, and ending on December 11th in Bellingham, Washington. Tickets for all shows (save an October 2nd gig in Vienna, Virginia) are on pre-sale starting today, May 11th, while they’ll go on sale to the general public May 14th on Okkervil River’s website.

Okkervil River Tour Dates

September 21 – Evanston, IL – SPACE
September 22 – Evanston, IL – SPACE
September 23 – Grand Rapids, MI – Wealthy Theatre
September 24 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark
September 25 – Louisville, KY – Headliners Music Hall
September 26 – Nelsonville, OH – Stuart’s Opera House
September 28 – Nashville, TN – Third Man Records
September 29 – Atlanta, GA – City Winery
September 30 – Charlotte, NC – Neighborhood Theatre
October 1 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
October 2 – Vienna, VA – Barns at Wolf Trap *
October 3 – Woodstock, NY Levon Helm Studios ^
October 5 – Boston, MA – City Winery
October 6 – Brooklyn, NY – To Be Announced
October 7 – Holyoke, MA – Gateway City Arts
December 1 – Santa Ana, CA – Ebell of Santa Ana
December 2 – Ojai, CA – Ojai Women’s Club
December 3 – Oakland, CA – Starline Social Club
December 4 – Big Sur, CA – Henry Miller Memorial Library (early show)
December 4 – Big Sur, CA – Henry Miller Memorial Library (late show)
December 5 – Sonoma, CA – Sebastiani Theater
December 8 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
December 9 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
December 10 – Tacoma, WA – Fawcett Hall
December 11 – Bellingham, WA – Wild Buffalo