Brooklyn folk-rockers the Lone Bellow worked with Aaron Dessner on their upcoming album Then Came The Morning, and some of the National’s dark elegance is present in “Fake Roses,” the second single they’ve shared from the project. The tune’s warm tones and steady pulse also hearken to Arcade Fire’s somber Funeral ballad “Une Année Sans Lumière” or Wilco’s “Via Chicago,” and there’s a weathered grace to the vocal that reminds me of Van Morrison. And at the risk of turning this into nothing more than a long list of influences, the sighing pedal steel and moody twilight atmospherics evoke Justin Townes Earle’s great 2012 release Nothing’s Gonna Change The
Way You Feel About Me Now, which is high praise coming from me. (Earle’s album was in my top 10 that year.) Reference points aside, the Lone Bellow have made a fantastic leap here, distancing themselves from the post-Mumford hordes and proving that a certain class of stately indie rock is still capable of sounding fresh and vital. Listen up.

Then Came The Morning is out 1/27 on Descendant/Sony, and “Fake Roses” is available on iTunes tomorrow, 11/4. Pre-order “fake Roses” here, or get it instantly when you pre-order Then Came The Morning. Also of note, the Lone Bellow are on tour right now:

11/04 Charlotte, NC @ Visulite Theatre
11/05 Saxapahaw, NC @ Haw River Ballroom
11/06 Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre
11/08 Atlanta, GA @ SCADShow
11/10 Ponte Vedra Beach, FL @ Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
11/11 Tampa, FL @ Starz Center
11/12 Macon, GA @ Cox Capitol Theatre
11/14 Oxford, MS @ Proud Larry’s
11/15 Hattiesburg, MS @ Thirsty Hippo
11/16 Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon
11/18 Dallas, TX @ The Kessler Theater
11/19 Austin, TX @ The Parish
11/20 Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald’s Downstairs
12/06 Richmond, VA @ Modlin Center For The Arts
12/07 Rocky Mount, VA @ Harvester Performance Center
12/09 Cincinnati, OH @ 20th Century Theater
12/11 Urbana, IL @ The Canopy Club
12/12 Stoughton, WI @ Thoughton Opera House
12/13 Kalamazoo, MI @ Shakespeare’s Lower Level
12/14 Ann Arbor, MI @ The Ark
12/15 Cleveland, OH @ Music Box Supper Club
01/17 Miami, FL @ Cayamo Cruise 2014- Miami to St. Barts to St. Croix