On 2009’s scene-defining Dark Was The Night compilation, the National’s Aaron Dessner and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon teamed up on a song called “Big Red Machine.” Years later, when the two musicians began creating together again — while building out an extended universe of projects like the Eaux Claires and 37d03d festivals — they called the band Big Red Machine, too. These efforts culminated in a fantastic self-titled album three summers ago. Today, they’re announcing a second LP.

A lot has changed for these two since Big Red Machine. The National and Bon Iver released new albums in 2019, but if we’re being honest about career-changing variables, 2020 was when things really took a turn. When the pandemic hit, Taylor Swift, arguably the biggest superstar in music, invited Dessner to start remotely collaborating on new music with her. Their efforts yielded two #1 albums, one of which won Swift her third Grammy for Album Of The Year. Vernon popped up as a guest vocalist on both. The whole endeavor led to the biggest chart success of Dessner and Vernon’s careers.

Dessner has been hinting at a new Big Red Machine album since before folklore became public knowledge, talking it up as a more guest-heavy affair. For almost a year now, a lot of us have been wondering whether Swift would be one of those guests. Well, she is. On not one but two songs. Taylor Swift, welcome to the 37d03d artist collective.

Out in August, the new How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last? also features a noteworthy cast of 37d03d pals including Sharon Van Etten, Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold, Ilsey, Naaem, Lisa Hannigan, Shara Nova (aka My Brightest Diamond), La Force, Ben Howard, This Is The Kit, and Bonny Light Horseman’s Anaïs Mitchell, who is on opener and lead single “Latter Days” plus two more tracks. Hear that song below in a lyric video by Michael Brown.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Latter Days” (Feat. Anaïs Mitchell)
02 “Reese”
03 “Phoenix” (Feat. Fleet Foxes & Anaïs Mitchell)
04 “Birch” (Feat. Taylor Swift)
05 “Renegade” (Feat. Taylor Swift)
06 “The Ghost Of Cincinnati”
07 “Hoping Then”
08 “Mimi” (Feat. Ilsey)
09 “Easy To Sabotage” (Feat. Naeem)
10 “Hutch” (Feat. Sharon Van Etten, Lisa Hannigan, & Shara Nova [My Brightest Diamond])
11 “8:22am” (Feat. La Force)
12 “Magnolia”
13 “June’s A River” (Feat. Ben Howard & This Is The Kit)
14 “Brycie”
15 “New Auburn” (Feat. Anaïs Mitchell)

How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last? is out 8/27 on Jagjaguwar/37d03d. Pre-order it here.