Flock of Dimes – Afraid
Jenn Wasner shares “Afraid”, the opening track from her third Flock of Dimes album “The Life You Save” (October 10 on Sub Pop). The song features Alan Good Parker on bass, Jacob Ungerleider on keyboards, TJ Maiani on drums, and Adam Schatz on saxophone, with Wasner handling writing and production duties.
Wasner describes “Afraid” as the first song she wrote for this cycle, marking a definitive shift in her approach. She calls it “an intention, an incantation, a prayer”, a mantra about accepting what’s happened while refusing to let circumstances dictate outcomes.
Spencer Kelly directed the accompanying video, surrounding Wasner with projections of childhood home movies. It’s the second single from “The Life You Save”, following July’s “Long After Midnight”.
The album addresses addiction, codependency, and finding peace despite others’ suffering. Wasner recorded at Betty’s in Chapel Hill, NC and Montrose Recording in Los Angeles, with additional production from Nick Sanborn. She’s also teaching an online songwriting workshop through School of Song across four Sundays in September.
Between her work in Wye Oak and collaborations with Bon Iver, Sylvan Esso, and others, Wasner has built a reputation for balancing directness with left-of-center sensibility. “Afraid” continues that approach while addressing more personal territory than previous releases.
Tracklist:
- Afraid
- Keep Me in the Dark
- Long After Midnight
- Defeat
- Close to Home
- The Enemy
- Not Yet Free
- Pride
- Theo
- Instead of Calling
- River in My Arms
- I Think I’m God
North America
- November 6 – Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA
- November 7 – Space Ballroom, New Haven, CT
- November 8 – National Sawdust, Brooklyn, NY
- November 9 – The Rockwell, Somerville, MA
- November 11 – The Atlantis, Washington, DC
- November 12 – Haw River Ballroom, Saxapahaw, NC
- December 1 – Barboza, Seattle, WA
- December 2 – Mississippi Studios, Portland, OR
- December 4 – Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco, CA
- December 5 – Zebulon, Los Angeles, CA
