Beck - "In the Night"

Beck has announced his first album in seven years, Ride Lonesome, and shared the single "In the Night."

These days, there are two styles of music you can expect from Beck: 1) the alt-rock vibe he debuted in the '90s and has made his signature or 2) the acoustic side that will forever be compared to his landmark album Sea Change. It appears that Ride Lonesome, his latest record, will fall into the later category. Following the title track single that was debuted a few months ago, Beck returns today with "In the Night," another acoustic gem that rises with a swelling string section behind nimbly, finger-picked guitar notes. I personally love Sea Change and it's similarly-styled companion piece Morning Phase so this is another welcome addition to this version of Beck and this tune is a gentle, sweeping ode that probably won't attract new fans, but I'd also argue that at this point in his career, that's not the main goal for Beck. In the three decades of his musical career, he's become one of rock's more rewarding acts with consistent releases peppered throughout. When speaking about the track and the new album, Beck shared:

My new album Ride Lonesome is coming out this fall. The musicians from my original touring and recording band that I recorded Sea Change, Morning Phase and Mutations with — Smokey Hormel, Joey Waronker, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, Roger Joseph Manning Jr., and Jason Falkner— reconvened with me at my favorite studio (Room B at United studios in Hollywood). We had Nigel Godrich, who worked on Sea Change and Mutations with us mixing all the songs. It had been a decade since we went in the studio and recorded Morning Phase. This time It felt like the playing and the chemistry had evolved and deepened— a sound that’s come together over the decades of working together. While we were revisiting a musical and physical place, it also felt like we were finding new sounds and emotional textures along the way.

Backed with the crew that's helped deliver some of his best work to date, it's hard to not get excited about another chapter being entered in this moving story.

Ride Lonesome is out September 18.