Dawn Richard and Spencer Zahn have detailed their second collaborative album. The two will share Quiet in a World Full of Noise on October 4 via Merge Records.
Following 2022's Pigments, Richard and Zahn have now come together for a 12-song effort described as "a blueprint for stillness, simplicity, and the art of working across differences in the midst of a polarizing cultural climate."
Said to blend "atmospheric and orchestral soundscapes with mellifluous soul, jazz, and journalistic vocalizing," the album began with Zahn writing and recording instrumental piano compositions in upstate New York following a breakup.
Using an instrument tuned to the room, rather than standard pitch, the composer recalls, "I wrote all these stream-of-consciousness pieces on piano, and they were eerie, spacious piano tracks."
Zahn then sent the instrumentals to Richard, who wasted little time writing and recording melodies to them. She adds, "I did not write this down — I purged it out, and then I didn't change anything after it. Our family has a distorted view of therapy; I've had to do a lot of healing on my own. So this was a moment of severe openness, sharing that moment with the world.
The mesmeric "Breath Out" arrives alongside today's announcement, and you can hear it in the player below. Richard and Zahn are joined on the album by Bryan Senti on strings, CJ Camerieri on brass, and the 26-member Budapest Film Orchestra.
"Right now, everyone's a little bit overwhelmed. I hope that this will be the record that people put on when they need the opportunity for reflection, when they need the stillness in their lives, now more than ever."
Richard and Zahn have also announced a series of tour dates for the fall. In October and November, the two will play nine North American dates on the continent, including a lone Canadian performance at Toronto's Lula Lounge.
Tickets for all shows go on sale July 12 at 10 a.m. local time, and you can find their complete itinerary below.
Pre-order Quiet in a World Full of Noise.
Quiet in a World Full of Noise:
1. Stains
2. Quiet in a World Full of Noise
3. Traditions
4. Diets
5. Stay
6. Life in Numbers
7. Moments for Stillness
8. The Dancer
9. Breath Out
10. To Remove
11. Ocean Past
12. Try
Dawn Richard & Spencer Zahn 2024 Tour Dates:
07/11 London, UK - Colours *
07/12 Birmingham, UK - Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival *
07/15 London, UK - Somerset House *
07/27 Carrboro, NC - Merge 35 Festival
10/22 Minneapolis, MN - Dakota
10/23 Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall Ballroom
10/24 Chicago, IL - Old Town School of Folk Music
10/26 Pittsburgh, PA - The Andy Warhol Museum
10/27 Toronto, ON - Lula Lounge
10/29 Brooklyn, NY - National Sawdust
10/30 Brooklyn, NY - National Sawdust
11/02 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
11/03 Boston, MA - Institute of Contemporary Art
11/16 London, UK - London Jazz Festival
* Dawn Richard solo