José González – “Visions”

José González – “Visions”

It’s been more than six years since the deeply soothing Swedish singer and songwriter José González released Vestiges & Claws, his last album. A couple of months ago, González released the single “El Invento,” which is both his first new song in years and the first song in Spanish that he’s ever released. Today, González has announced that he’s recorded a new album called Local Valley and that it’ll come out this September. The LP will feature “El Invento,” and it’ll also include “Visions,” the new single that González just shared today.

González recorded Local Valley in the studio that he set up in his family house outside Gothenburg. On the album, González sings in three different languages: English, Spanish, and Swedish. He started writing the songs last February, and he says that the pandemic experience informed some of what he wrote. In a press release, González calls the album “a natural continuation of the styles I’ve been adding through the years, both solo and with Junip.”

That’s certainly true of “Visions.” The song is a soft, thrumming acoustic track about finding peace in uncertainty: “Look at the magic of reality/ While accepting with all honesty/ That we can’t know for sure what’s next.” In a multi-tracked, reverbed voice, González harmonizes with himself over the sound of a guitar, and the track also features birdsong and other nature sounds. Below, listen to “Visions” and check out the Local Valley tracklist.

TRACKLIST:
01 “El Invento”
02 “Visions”
03 “The Void”
04 “Horizons”
05 “Head On”
06 “Valle Local”
07 “Lasso ln”
08 “Lilla G”
09 “Swing”
10 “Tjomme”
11 “Line Of Fire”
12 “En Stund Pa Jorden”
13 “Honey Honey”

Local Valley is out 9/17 on Mute.

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