Sufjan Stevens has released a new song titled “Celebration VIII,” from his upcoming five-volume album Convocations. Sufjan Stevens is an artist, songwriter, and composer living in New York. He has released eight widely lauded studio albums and several collaborations with fellow musicians, choreographers, and visual artists. His most recent release, 2020’s The Ascension, received widespread acclaim and was named The New York Times’ #1 album of 2020 by critic Jon Pareles.

“Celebration VIII” is an instrumental song full of ambient and ethereal noise as it aurally transports the listener to an entirely different realm. One can’t help but picture images of nature and vivid scenery as the song washes over them with a sense of calm and peace. Check out the song below:

Convocations is a two-and-a-half-hour, 49 track reflection on present times and is out May 6 via Asthmatic Kitty. Celebrations is out this Thursday, April 29 at 12p.m. ET via YouTube and follows the first three volumes, Meditations, Lamentations, and Revelations. Further volumes are to be released weekly.

Stevens wrote and recorded Convocations in the fall of 2020 in homage to the life of his father and in response to his death in September, two days after the release of The Ascension. Each volume replicates and reflects a stage of mourning—five sonic cycles exploring loss, isolation, and anxiety.

The press release states, “Musically, the album invokes lessons from pioneers including Morton Subotnick, Maryanne Amacher, Christian Fennesz, Brian Eno, and Wolfgang Voigt, and furthers the ideas Stevens has explored throughout his career in works including Enjoy Your Rabbit, The BQE, Planetarium, Aporia, and his scores for the choreographer Justin Peck, the New York City Ballet and others.”