In 2015, Artist To Watch Spencer Radcliffe put out Looking In, his first full-length under his own name, which came on the heels of a lot of solo work (most of which has, sadly, been seemingly scrapped from the internet) and his still-ongoing ambient project Blithe Field. Radcliffe opened up his insular world for his forthcoming new album, Enjoy The Great Outdoors, opting to record it with admired musicians and members of the touring band he put together after Looking In’s release. Appropriately, the album is being billed under the name Spencer Radcliffe & Everyone Else to reflect the project’s expanded scope.

Radcliffe’s sound has branched out as well. Whereas Looking In felt like you were peering into someone else’s world through a fishbowl (much like the cover depicts), Enjoy The Great Outdoors is more attuned to nature and a world outside of your own head. The album’s title is derived from its lead single, “Wrong Turn,” and it’s a command barked from the engine of a car encouraging Radcliffe to go explore a place outside of himself. Feeling the pressure of staying in mounting, the narrative of the song unspools in a thrillingly minimal way: “You listen to it purr/ Shift down, turned around, get out of this twisted town/ ‘Cause I know where there’s smoke there’s fire/ And I’ve been feeling this heat for a while/ The engine roars, and says: ‘Maybe we’d enjoy the great outdoors,” Radcliffe sings, his voice joined by another in an ecstatic round. It’s an exhilarating depiction of the ultimate escape: the open road.

Listen to it via The Fader below.

Tracklist:
01 “Land & Sea”
02 “Smoker’s Paradise”
03 “Breezy”
04 “Long Con”
05 “In The Clear”
06 “Trust”
07 “Flag”
08 “Wrong Turn”
09 “Slamming On The Brakes”
10 “Static Electricity”

Enjoy The Great Outdoors is out 5/12 via Run For Cover Records. Pre-order it here.