Azniv Korkejian, the singer-songwriter and Artist To Watch known as Bedouine, has never really stopped releasing music in the interim since 2019’s Bird Songs Of A Killjoy. Last year she released a bunch of covers: Margo Guryan’s “The Hum,” the folk traditional “All My Trials,” Ron Sexsmith’s “Imaginary Friends” (for our Save Stereogum comp), Big Star’s “Thirteen” (alongside Waxahatchee and Hurray For The Riff Raff), and Bill Withers’ “Let Me In Your Life” (for an all-star voting rights comp). Now she’s back to singing her own songs.

A third Bedouine album called Waysides is dropping in October. Lead single “The Wave,” out today, finds Korkejian processing a friend’s death. “I cannot contain the way I feel for you or anything,” Korkejian sings. “I ride the waves.” It’s the sort of immensely lovely and thoughtfully soft-spoken folk-pop Bedouine has always done so well.

Korkejian’s statement on the new song:

I wrote this about the loss of a close friend, specifically the swell of emotion I try to resign myself to when thinking of her premature absence. She was someone who had an uncomplicated relationship with life and living. I often wondered “Why her and not me?” I was trying to practice the things I was learning, to surrender to the fear and the grief…and the fear of grief. I haven’t entirely worked through it. Writing “The Wave” was a reminder to feel my feelings. At a time of such collective loss I imagine there are people out there that could relate. It feels cathartic to share.

Below, check out a lyric video for “The Wave” featuring performance footage shot by Steady Holiday‘s Dre Babinski.

TRACKLIST:
01 “The Solitude”
02 “It Wasn’t Me”
03 “I Don’t Need The Light”
04 “Easy”
05 “You Never Leave Me”
06 “The Wave”
07 “This Machine”
08 “Forever Everette”
09 “Sonnet 104”
10 “Songbird”

Waysides is out 10/15 on The Orchard. Pre-order it here.