She & Him, the all-star twee-folk duo of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward, have released four albums on the North Carolina indie Merge, but they are now leaving for the major-label universe. Billboard reports that She & Him have signed with Columbia, where they're expected to drop a new album in the fall. It's kind of a curious decision, since it's not like Columbia's marketing arm will be able to make Zooey Deschanel more famous. But nonetheless, they're the second high-profile Merge defection in recent months; Spoon recently signed with Loma Vista. Ward remains signed to Merge as a solo artist. (And don't worry about Merge, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year and which remains one of the world's best and biggest indie labels.)
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