For a while now, Nick Cave has been engaging in a pretty fascinating project. Cave, a man whose mystique is stronger than that of almost any of his peers, has been opening up to his public, answering questions as forthrightly and honestly as he can. It started last year, when Cave went on a new type of tour — one where, instead of singing, he did audience Q&As every night. And now Cave is also running a website, the Red Hand Files, where he offers long, considered answers to fans’ questions, addressing topics that range from his feelings on Morrissey’s right-wing extremism to Cave’s own shelved Flatbush Zombies collab. Cave has now used that same format to announce his new album. It turns out that it’s coming next week.

Cave’s last album, the heart-rending Skeleton Tree, came out three years ago, and it got into impossibly heavy topics like the death of Cave’s teenage son. Since then, Cave has released a few film soundtracks and a few collabs. But the new album, entitled Ghosteen, appears to be the follow-up to Skeleton Tree. Cave’s Red Hand Files announcement about the album is all we know about it. Here’s what Cave has written, in response to a UK fan named Joe asking when we can expect a new album:

Dear Joe,

You can expect a new album next week.

It is called Ghosteen.

It is a double album.

Part 1 comprises of eight songs.

The Spinning Song
Bright Horses
Waiting For You
Night Raid
Sun Forest
Galleon Ship
Ghosteen Speaks
Leviathan

Part 2 consists of two long songs, linked by a spoken word piece.

Ghosteen
Fireflies
Hollywood

The songs on the first album are the children.

The songs on the second album are their parents.

Ghosteen is a migrating spirit.

Love, Nick

In a later post, Cave also revealed the cover art, which is above. It seems probable that the album’s title refers to Arthur Cave, Nick’s late son, who died at age 15 after falling from a cliff in Brighton. The cover, which is beautiful, confirms that this is a proper Bad Seeds album and not a Nick Cave solo affair. Presumably, Ghosteen is out 10/4.