Before launching high-profile collaborations She & Him (with Zooey Deschanel) and Monsters Of Folk (with Conor Oberst, Jim James, and Mike Mogis), Matthew Steven “M.” Ward stayed cranking out drowsy, dignified folk-rock LPs with retro sensibility and an artisanal touch. He’ll return to that business this coming March with More Rain, his first solo album since 2012’s A Wasteland Companion. It’s preceded by the carefully constructed yet free-flowing “Girl From Conejo Valley,” which you can hear below.

Here’s the tracklist:
01 “More Rain”
02 “Pirate Dial”
03 “Time Won’t Wait”
04 “Confession”
05 “I’m Listening (Child’s Theme)”
06 “Girl from Conejo Valley”
07 “Slow Driving Man”
08 “You’re So Good To Me”
09 “Temptation”
10 “Phenomenon”
11 “Little Baby”
12 “I’m Going Higher”

More Rain is out 3/4 on Merge. Pre-order it from the label or iTunes.