Xylouris White, the aptly named duo of Dirty Three drummer Jim White and George Xylouris on Cretan laouto and vocals, is about to return with a new album called The Forest In Me. Out in April, it finds them once again teaming with producer Guy Picciotto of Fugazi, who is billed in a press release as the band’s “secret third member.” That same release provides statements from all three:

Picciotto:

In late 2019, we had begun taking steps to working on new material. In a haphazard fashion, Jim and I started tracking drums in my basement, cutting them up into shapes with no set landing in mind. Some of it we sent to Giorgos in Crete – he responded with his lyra and his lute. Without intention we had initiated a process that would soon become more ruthlessly mandated by the world events that separated and isolated us to three corners of the globe in the following year.

Xylouris:

While we were recording, I noticed that the music had a certain solitude about it, both from the title and from inside. That led us to find more music from within that we had not yet discovered.

White:

The idea emerged, naturally nourished and nourishing a record with none of our usual angles and themes, no verbal language, no angst nor sudden dynamics, a more subtle structure. And we found The Forest In Me.

Watch director Rebecca E. Marshall’s video for the short but substantial lead single “Latin White” below.

TRACKLIST:

01 “Second Sister”
02 “Latin White”
03 “Seeing The Everyday”
04 “Missing Heart”
05 “Tails Of Time”
06 “Night Club”
07 “Forest In Me”
08 “Red Wine”
09 “Underworld”
10 “Witnessed By Angels”
11 “Memories And Souvenirs”
12 “Long Doll”

TOUR DATES:
03/26 – Montreal, QC @ Sala Rosa
03/28 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon
03/29 – Los Angeles, CA @ Zebulon
03/30-04/02 – Knoxville, TN @ Big Ears Festival
04/04 – Philadelphia, PA @ Solar Myth
04/05 – New Haven, CT Cafe Nine
04/06 – Manhattan, NY (Le) Poisson Rouge

The Forest In Me is out 4/14 on Drag City.