When Anaïs Mitchell, Eric D. Johnson, and Josh Kaufman banded together to form Bonny Light Horseman in 2020, their return felt anything but promised. Indeed, their self-titled album felt like something of a spontaneous blessing, something of the sort we might never see again.
Thankfully, and excitingly, that’s proven not to be true. They’ve just announced their intentions to return for a sophomore album, the perfectly titled Rolling Golden Holy, which will be out on October 7 through 37d03d.
To mark the occasion, they’ve shared the project’s laid back yet bittersweet lead single, “California”. Speaking on the song, Johnson shares:
“This one started off as a little crooked minor-key old timey tune. Then the three of us took it through the ringer together and it became what you’re hearing now. We sat in a room in the woods of New York and clawed and pawed at it until it turned into a little bittersweet shuffler.“
He also reflects on how it differs from their debut, and its general mood: “Our first record was largely centered on the old world, whether it was some sort of mythical sweeping landscape on some British Isle, or maybe the old cities of the American East. This is probably our first West Coast song. It’s a sad one, a story about pulling up roots, new beginnings, goodbyes, early morning long drives, riding into the sunrise instead of the sunset. They usually don’t end movies riding into the sunrise but this movie has that scene.“
Check out “California” below, or via your favorite provider.
Bonny Light Horseman’s new album Rolling Golden Holy will be out on October 7 through 37d03d (pre-order/save). You can find the project on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
