Will Sheff released his latest Okkervil River album, In The Rainbow Rain, a couple weeks ago. In a couple more weeks, he’ll head out on tour with a full band behind him, but before that Sheff stopped by our office in New York City for his very own solo Stereogum Session.

He stuck to performing songs from his latest record, starting off with “Famous Tracheotomies” and “Don’t Move Back To LA” on guitar (with a little harmonica added in). He then moved over to piano for “Shelter Song” before returning to the strings for the album’s closing track, “Human Being Song.”

Sheff also talked a little bit about his mindset going into the album, abandoning the literary flourishes the band had grown to be known for and go towards writing “very simple words, very directly.” Check out Okkervil River’s Stereogum Session below.

TOUR DATES:
05/20 Washington, DC @ The Black Cat
05/21 Carboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
05/22 Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5
05/24 Dallas, TX @ The Kessler Theater
05/25 Houston, TX @ The Heights Theater
05/26 Austin, TX @ Mohawk (Hot Luck Festival)
05/29 Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom
05/31 Los Angeles, CA @ Teregram Ballroom
06/01 Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
06/02 San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo’s 365 Club
06/04 Seattle, WA @ Neumos
06/05 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
06/07 Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room
06/08 Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
06/09 Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
06/11 St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
06/12 Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
06/13 Detroit, MI @ El Club
06/14 Toronto, ON @ Horseshoe Tavern
06/15 Woodstock, NY @ Colony
06/16 Boston, MA @ Royale

In The Rainbow Rain is out now via ATO.