Dan Deacon has spent the last few years focusing on film scores for experimental documentaries — he did a very good one for Rat Film and another one for Time Trial — but he’s returning early next year for his next proper full-length, his first since 2015’s Gliss Riffer. It’s called Mystic Familiar and it’ll be out on 1/31. It’s the result of Deacon’s interest in spiritualism and newfound practice of daily meditations as a writing exercise.

The album’s lead single is “Sat By A Tree,” an ecstatic glittery propulsion funneled through Deacon’s chaotic production. “It’s a short life/ And sadly unrehearsed,” Deacon muses on it. “If when I die, if you think of me, think of my best first/ But it is out of my control what this world wants there to be told of me in time.” The song’s punctuated by the repeated directive to “wake up!”

Its music video, which was directed by Daren Rabinovitch, stars comedian Aparna Nancherla as a decomposing body, except all the maggots and worms and creatures that surround them look sort of like they’re having a grand old party.

Watch and listen below.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Become A Mountain”
02 “Hypnagogic”
03 “Sat By A Tree”
04 “Arp I: Wide Eyed”
05 “Apr II: Float Away”
06 “Arp III: Far From Shore”
07 “Arp IV: Any Moment”
08 “Weeping Birch”
09 “Fell Into The Ocean”
10 “My Friend”
11 “Bumble Bee Crown King”

Mystic Familiar is out 1/31 via Domino. Pre-order it here.