John Moreland announced a new album, Birds In The Ceiling, due July 22 via Bad Omens/Thirty Tigers, and the first single is the warm, rustic Americana of “Ugly Faces.”
John is also touring this summer, including shows with The Dead Tongues and S.G. Goodman.
The New Yorker, Pitchfork, Fresh Air, Paste, GQ, and others have embraced Moreland’s meditative songs, while performances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, CBS This Morning, NPR Tiny Desk Concert, and more have introduced Moreland to millions.
These songs are all questions. Everything I write is just trying to figure stuff out.
“I don’t ever want to sound like I have answers, because I don’t,” Moreland said while discussing his new album Birds in the Ceiling, a nine-song blend of acoustic folk and avant garde pop playfulness. “These songs are all questions. Everything I write is just trying to figure stuff out.”
On Birds in the Ceiling, Moreland’s singing contributes to the feelings of hushed intimacy. Wielding a warm, sandpaper soul voice, Moreland got used to singing loudly as he began playing in bars, fighting to be heard over chattering crowds. “When I first started singing, I was very self-conscious about it,” he says. “I think I tried to affect my voice more. Singing loud could be a security blanket sometimes. On the new album, on a lot of the songs I was definitely making a conscious effort to sing quieter––almost whisper.”
Produced by Matt Pence and Moreland, Birds in the Ceiling is dynamic: a folk record that refuses to stay in its lane. It’s the second album for Pence with Moreland, who sees the former––a Denton, Texas-based engineer, producer, and drummer––as an ideal musical partner. “We have a lot of the same influences, and I have been really influenced by his bands,” Moreland says. “It feels really effortless.”
Listen to “Ugly Faces” by John Moreland
Letting things just be what they are is a powerful guiding force for Moreland, determining not just how he interacts with others, but how he treats himself. “When you remove boundaries and instead of holding back parts of yourself––when you say, ‘Okay, I’m going to put all of me into this,’” Moreland says, “You end up making music that nobody else could make.”
John Moreland — 2022 Tour Dates
May 7 – McAlester, OK – Dancing Rabbit Music Festival
July 16 – Madison, IN – Red Bicycle Hall –
July 17 – Indianapolis, IN – Hi-Fi Annex * –
July 22 – Newport, RI – Newport Folk Festival
July 23 – Woodstock, NY – Levon Helm’s Studios * –
July 24 – Buffalo, NY – Iron Works * –
July 26 – Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern *
July 28 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom * –
July 30 – St Louis, MO – Open Highway Music Festival
August 11 – Santa Fe, NM – Tumbleroot Brewing +
August 13 – Tucson, AZ – 191 Toole +
August 14 – Phoenix, AZ – Musical Instrument Museum +
August 16 – Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom +
August 17 – Felton, CA – Felton Music Hall +
August 18 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent + (SOLD OUT)
August 20 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge +
August 21 – Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern + (SOLD OUT)
August 22 – Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern + (SOLD OUT)
August 24 – Bozeman, MT – Live from the Divide +
August 26 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Commonwealth Room +
August 27 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater +
August 28 – Fort Collins, CO – The Armory + (SOLD OUT)
August 29 – Colorado Springs, CO – Lulu’s Downstairs +
September 30 – Arnoldsville, GA – Wildwood Revival
* w/ The Dead Tongues
+ w/ S.G. Goodman
– on sale April 22nd at 10am ET