Although they did share one new song back in February, Wye Oak have mostly been in side-project mode this year, with Andy Stack releasing his first solo LP as Joyero and Jenn Wasner joining Bon Iver’s live band. Having personally witnessed both of these operations this fall, I can confirm they were worthy endeavors. Now it looks like Wasner and Stack are getting back to their main band, but they’re bringing music from their side gigs under the Wye Oak banner.

For the first time since 2012, Wasner and Stack live in the same city. Back then it was Baltimore, where Wye Oak began; now it’s Durham, North Carolina, where their label, Merge Records, is based. Living in close proximity again has reportedly reignited their creative chemistry, resulting in a new collection of songs that begins rolling out today with a tune called “Fortune.” They’re not saying so right now, but it looks like the follow-up to 2018’s The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs might be imminent.

They’re also announcing a 2020 tour called JOIN today. The outing will feature an expanded Wye Oak live band of four to six musicians each night, with a setlist incorporating Joyero songs and tracks from Wasner’s fruitful Flock Of Dimes project. They’ll also supposedly be digging deep into the Wye Oak catalog and reinterpreting some of those songs. Sounds like it will be a unique Wye Oak experience. Tickets for the JOIN shows go on sale this Friday, 11/15, at 10AM local time.

Hear “Fortune” below.

TOUR DATES:
02/27 Asheville, NC @ The Mothlight
02/28 Durham, NC @ Baldwin Auditorium
02/29 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
03/01 Baltimore, MD @ 2640 Space
03/03 Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
03/04 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
03/05 Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry
03/20 Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
03/21 Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
03/23 San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
03/24 Los Angeles, CA @ Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
03/25 Los Angeles, CA @ Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery

CREDIT: Kendall Atwater