The California-born folk musician Tucker Zimmerman released his debut album Ten Songs in 1969. Tony Visconti produced that record, and David Bowie was a big fan. Over the years, Zimmerman has continued to release occasional music and other artistic projects. The members of Big Thief are huge fans; Adrianne Lenker calls him “one of the greatest songwriters of all time.” Big Thief have played a few shows with Zimmerman, who is 83 years old and currently based in Belgium. Now, they’re serving as Zimmerman’s backing band on a new album that’s coming out this fall.

Tucker Zimmerman came back to the US to record his new album Dance Of Love. Big Thief produced the record, and they play on it alongside collaborators Mat Davidson and Zach Burba. They also join Zimmerman’s wife Marie-Claire to sing backup harmonies. (That’s her on the cover.) In a press release, the members of Big Thief say that the experience was “an extreme honor.” Here’s what Zimmerman has to say:

After years of writing and filling a box with over 500 song sheets, I had finally found my path, my originality, my voice. It had become clear to me that songs of only one kind were worth spending time on: those which had a positive message and a peaceful vibration […] Just poetry. Little hums that perhaps might lift us all above our daily worries and fears, little hums that try to make the world a better place to live in.

The lead single from Dance Of Love is “Burial At Sea,” a supremely gentle work of ramshackle folk-rock. The Big Thief influence comes through clearly, but the band makes sure to center Zimmerman’s voice. In the Noah Lenker-directed video, we see Zimmerman and Big Thief working their way through what looks like a bucolic recording session. Below, check out that video, the Dance Of Love tracklist, and Tucker Zimmerman’s short list of upcoming live shows.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Old Folks From Farmersville”
02 “Idiot’s Maze”
03 “Lorelei”
04 “The Season”
05 “Burial At Sea”
06 “They Don’t Say It (But It’s True)”
07 “Leave It On The Porch Outside”
08 “The Ram-a-lama-ding-dong Song”
09 “Don’t Go Crazy (Go In Peace)”
10 “Nobody Knows”

TOUR DATES:
11/03 – Manchester, UK @ Deaf Institute
11/05 – London, UK @ Pitchfork London at The Lexington
11/08 – Utrecht, Netherlands @ Le Guess Who Festival

Dance Of Love is out 10/11 on 4AD.