Wye Oak are back with a new song, the stand-alone single “Walk Soft,” which follows another one-off single from earlier this year called “Fear of Heights.” The release of the tender ballad comes a week before the band kicks off their JOIN tour dates, which run through the end of March. That tour will feature not only Wye Oak songs but also songs from the two members Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack’s respective solo projects, Flock of Dimes and Joyero.

“Walk Soft” examiunes love on a deep level, asking questions like “What is the view? / Does it belong to you? / Do you see the same blue as I think I do?” These questions reflect the theme of the song, which Wasner explains in a press release.

“When I was younger, I used to work at a stable taking care of horses,” she said. “I thought they were the most beautiful animals on earth, and seemingly so gentle, so it took me a while to learn that they could also be dangerous, if only because they were so much bigger than I was. Love is like this, too—the bigger it feels, the more power it holds. True beauty should be frightening.”

“Walk Soft” and “Fear of Heights” both follow the release of Wye Oak’s excellent 2018 album The Louder I Call The Faster It Runs. That album earned the band High Fidelity status from mxdwn and a #29 place on our Best Albums of 2018 list.

Wye Oak JOIN Tour Dates

2/27 – Asheville, NC – The Mothlight
2/28 – Durham, NC – Baldwin Auditorium
2/29 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
3/01 – Baltimore, MD – 2640 Space
3/03 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair
3/04 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
3/05 – Richmond, VA – The Broadberry
3/20 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
3/21 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
3/23 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
3/24 – Los Angeles, CA – Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
3/25 – Los Angeles, CA – Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat