When we were that what wept for the sea landed Colin Stetson among Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2023, and won him a JUNO, and now, the sax virtuoso is planning its follow-up; on September 13th, he's dropping The love it took to leave you via Envision Records.
He shared of the record, "The essence of it is me. It's the most personal thing that I do — and can do. There's an evolution of my body and technical capabilities that keeps on, so every time I make another record, there are things that I could only have played now."
Per a press release, the album was recorded over a week in early 2023 at Montreal's Darling Foundry, where, Stetson explained, "We were using the same live setup as I normally would to amplify — a full PA in the building's spaces — so we were really able to move the kind of air that I can move — really saturating the room, hitting the walls hard. And then we further fleshed it out."
Today, he delivers its first and title track, which, as nearly always, is performed solo on his alto saxophone. Stetson describes it as "a love letter to self and to solitude and to tall old trees that sway and creak in the wind and rain."
Listen to that below, where you'll also find the album's tracklist — and be sure to check out the saxman when he comes to town on his North American tour.
The love it took to leave you:
1. The love it took to leave you
2. The Six
3. The Augur
4. Hollowing
5. To think we knew from fear
6. Malediction
7. Green and grey and fading light
8. Strike your forge and grin
9. Ember
10. So say the soaring bullbats
11. Bloodrest