Shearwater

Originally formed as a one-time project pairing Okkervil River’s Will Sheff with Kingfisher’s Jonathan Meiburg, Shearwater upholds the meticulous, introspective songwriting lineage traced to Nick Drake and Leonard Cohen while also echoing present-day voices such as Bill Callahan and Will Oldham. Once Sheff exited in 2006, Meiburg assumed leadership; his singular, ecologically focused narratives and resonant delivery soon elevated the band within indie rock’s higher ranks. At the same time the ensemble’s sonic identity shifted, evident on the widely praised Rook (2008), Animal Joy (2012), Jet Plane and Oxbow (2016), and The Great Awakening (2022), each embracing a bolder yet still tuneful art-rock stance.

The Austin, Texas outfit originated after the two songwriters had known one another for merely a week, their initial plan being an album titled The Dissolving Room. Song ideas passed back and forth via e-mail proved so satisfying that the duo resolved to turn the venture into a full-time touring entity and formally added bassist Kim Burke. Grey Flat issued the restrained yet cinematic Dissolving Room in early 2001. The following year brought the kindred follow-up Everybody Makes Mistakes, while 2004 saw the more indie-rock-leaning Winged Life. Meiburg’s growing sway over artistic direction reached a peak on the band’s fourth album, the 2006 release Palo Santo, which earned strong critical notice and marked Sheff’s final appearance with the group.

That same year the band switched from Misra to Matador, paving the way for an expanded Palo Santo edition in 2007. Rook, both forceful and economical, appeared in 2008, succeeded two years later by the ethereal, pastoral Golden Archipelago. In February 2012 Shearwater delivered the expansive Animal Joy on Sub Pop, a brisk and immediate set featuring contributions from Andy Stack of Wye Oak and Scott Brackett of Murder by Death. Fellow Travelers, comprising ten covers drawn from acts the band had toured alongside—including Folk Implosion, Xiu Xiu, and Coldplay—surfaced the next year. Early 2016 brought Jet Plane and Oxbow, the ensemble’s third Sub Pop outing, whose hard-edged, ’80s-inflected sound recalled the sweeping ambition of Tears for Fears, Talk Talk, and Peter Gabriel.

While supporting that record on the road, Meiburg forged a close connection with opening duo Cross Record, whose members Emily Cross and Dan Duszynski joined him shortly afterward to launch the side project Loma; their atmospheric, self-titled Sub Pop debut arrived in 2018, followed by Don’t Shy Away in 2020. Two years after that, Shearwater returned with The Great Awakening. Released on the band’s own Polyborus imprint, the eleven-track collection reconciled the group’s earlier introspective tone with the denser, melody-driven rock of more recent work.