Listen to Iron & Wine’s ‘Thomas County Law,’ the Second Single from Upcoming ‘Beast Epic’ Album

The release of a second advance single from Iron & Wine's Beast Epic seems to indicate a throwback to their roots, with sparser arrangements than in recent history. You can listen to "Thomas County Law" above.

The ballad came with a dark, black-and-white video directed by J. Austin Wilson. In it, Sam Beam is preparing a church and presiding over what turns out to be his own, unattended funeral. "The song's content has to do with both denying and accepting one's origins," Beam told NPR. "So I think a film of me giving the eulogy at my own funeral is ecstatically appropriate."

Beam released "Call It Dreaming," the first single from this sixth Iron & Wine album, last month. Beast Epic is due Aug. 25 from SubPop; pre-orders are available via the band's website.

On his website, Beam describes the idea behind the album as a whole. “I have been and always will be fascinated by the way time asserts itself on our bodies and our hearts. The ferris wheel keeps spinning and we’re constantly approaching, leaving or returning to something totally unexpected or startlingly familiar," he writes. "The rite of passage is an image I’ve returned to often because I feel we’re all constantly in some stage of transition. Beast Epic is saturated with this idea, but in a different way simply because each time I return to the theme, I’ve collected new experiences to draw from.”

Last year, Beam issued an album of duets with singer-songwriter Jesca Hoop called Love Letter for Fire. Prior to that, he put out Sing Into My Mouth with Band of Horses' Ben Bridwell in 2015.

'Beast Epic' Track Listing
"Claim Your Ghost"
"Thomas County Law"
"Bitter Truth"
"Song in Stone"
"Summer Clouds"
"Call It Dreaming"
"About a Bruise"
"Last Night"
"Right for Sky"
"The Truest Stars We Know"
"Our Light Miles"

Exclusive 'Beast Epic' Deluxe LP Bonus Tracks
"Hearts Walk Anywhere"
"Kicking the Old Rain"
"About a Bruise" (demo)
"Claim Your Ghost" (demo)
"Summer Clouds" (demo)

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