We’ve heard them cover Pink Floyd, debut new material, and settle into the latest lineup live, but now the Shins are finally set to return in full with a new studio album. Arriving on a to-be-announced date next March will be Port of Morrow, James Mercer’s fourth album as the Shins and first record with bandmates Jessica Dobson, Richard Swift, Joe Plummer, and Yuuki Matthews.
Produced by Greg Kurstin, the 10-track set was recorded at sessions over the course of 2011 in L.A. and the band’s usual home turf of Portland, Oregon, where Mercer — the lone founding member of the group — played most of the instruments and wrote the songs. Based on shaky YouTube clips that have been floating around since this year’s tour, plenty of Mercer’s usual indelible melodies and memorable lyrics are in store. We can’t wait to hear it.
In the meantime, get psyched with the excellent album cover artwork above and tracklist below:
The Shins – Port of Morrow
01. “The Rifle’s Spiral”
02. “Simple Song”
03. “It’s Only Life”
04. “No Way Down”
05. “September”
06. “Bait and Switch”
07. “Fall of ’82”
08. “For A Fool”
09. “40 Mark Strasse”
10. “Port of Morrow”