WHY? – “The Letters, Etc.”

WHY? – “The Letters, Etc.”

It’s been five years since Yoni Wolf’s ever-evolving indie band WHY? released their last album, the visual LP AOKOHIO. Since then, Wolf has covered the Silver Jews and Allen Ginsberg and collaborated with Foxing and Temps. This summer, WHY? will return with their latest LP, a breakup record called The Well I Fell Into.

Yoni Wolf and his current WHY? bandmates — Yoni’s brother Josiah Wolf, longtime collaborator Doug McDiarmid, and Fog mastermind Andrew Broder — recorded the LP in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, with Sufjan Stevens/Bon Iver collaborator Brian Joseph. It features contributions from people like Gia Margaret, Finom’s Macie Stewart, Lala Lala’s Lillie West, Serengeti, and Ada Lea. Lead single “The Letters, Etc.” is a lush reflection on heartbreak. Here’s what Wolf says about it:

This song was partially written for a year or two, but the words to finish it just wouldn’t come until some further life experiences led it into its current incarnation. Though potentially filled with paranoid conjecture, it is also a song of acceptance, with only best wishes upon embarking on a difficult long-term estrangement. T’ruah. Love and let live.

Below, check out “The Letters, Etc.,” the tracklist for The Well I Fell Into, and WHY?’s upcoming tour dates.

TRACKLIST:
01 “Lauderdale Detour”
02 “Marigold”
03 “Brand New”
04 “G-dzillah G’dolah”
05 “When We Do The Dance”
06 “Jump”
07 “Later At The Loon”
08 “Nis(s)an Dreams, Pt. 1”
09 “The Letters, Etc.”
10 “What’s Me?”
11 “Sin Imperial”
12 “Atreyu”
13 “Versa Go!”
14 “Sending Out A Pamphlet”

TOUR DATES:
8/16 – Asheville, NC @ Grey Eagle
8/17 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
8/18 – Durham, NC @ Motorco
8/20 – Washington DC @ The Atlantis
8/21 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
8/23 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
8/24 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
8/26 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
8/27 – Detroit, MI @ El Club
8/28 – Chicago, IL @ The Outset
8/29 – Milwaukee, WI @ Vivarium
9/04 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
9/06 – Dallas, TX @ Deep Ellum Art Co.
9/07 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk
9/10 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
9/11 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge
9/13 – San Diego, CA @ VooDoo Room
9/14 – Los Angeles, CA @ Lodge Room
9/15 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
9/17 – Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
9/18 – Seattle, WA @ Washington Hall
9/20 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
9/21 – Denver, CO @ Meow Wolf
9/23 – Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
9/24 – Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
9/25 – Minneapolis, MN @ Turf Club
9/27 – Cincinnati, OH @ Woodward
9/28 – Nashville, TN @ Blue Room

The Well I Fell Into is out 8/2 on WHY?’s own Waterlines label.

Jacquelyn Johnson

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