Indie-folk outfit Iron & Wine have announced the release of the group’s sixth studio album, titled Beast Epic. Iron & Wine also shared the first single off the album, “Call It Dreaming.” The new video features Iron & Wine’s principal songwriter, Sam Beam, driving through country roads in the back of a driverless pickup truck, picking up hitchhiker’s along the way. Beast Epic arrives August 25 from Sub Pop.

Sam Beam spoke of the new album in a recent press release:

“I must confess that I’ve always shied away from album introductions citing the usual “dancing to architecture” cop out. Speaking to their own work is uncomfortable for many artists, but I’ve made a new album called Beast Epic which is important to me and I wanted to take a moment to talk about why. I’ve been releasing music for about fifteen years now and I feel very blessed to have put out five other full lengths, many EPs and singles, a few collaborations with people much more talented than myself, and made contributions to numerous movie scores and soundtracks. This is my sixth collection of new Iron & Wine material and I’m happy to say that it’s my fourth for Sub Pop Records.”

Over the last couple of years, Beam has released Love Letter for Fire, an album of duets with singer-songwriter Jesca Hoop, and Sing into My Mouth, a covers album with Band of Horses frontman Ben Bridwell. The most recent Iron & Wine studio album was 2013’s Ghost on Ghost.

Watch the “Call It Dreaming” video below, and scroll down for Beast Epic’s track list and charming embroidered cover art. Beam also wrote a statement about the album’s creation, in which he defines its title: “Beast epic. n. A long, usually allegorical verse narrative in which the characters are animals with human feelings and motives.”

Beast Epic tracklist

01 Claim Your Ghost
02 Thomas County Law
03 Bitter Truth
04 Song in Stone
05 Summer Clouds
06 Call It Dreaming
07 About a Bruise
08 Last Night
09 Right for Sky
10 The Truest Stars We Know
11 Our Light Miles

photo credit Sharon Alagna