Daniel Lanois has released his latest single “Torn Again,” which features a recording of Leonard Cohen reciting a poem. The song begins with a guitar performance with Rocco Deluca, according to a statement Lanois made in a press release. “The spine of our steel guitars became the rock for the poem to stand on,”  “Wayne Lorenz and I spent many hours in the studio rearranging and dubbing out the steel to enhance the lyrical journey with orchestral compliment. I’m very proud of this work, may it keep on reaching and speaking.” Listen to the stunning track below.

“Torn Again” follows Lanois’ latest album Heavy Sun, released in March.  Mxdwn had the opportunity to interview Lanois about the album and its “space-gospel vibe,”I like the idea of the spirit of gospel music stepping into the future. I believe we’ve done that a couple of times, you know, the song called “(Under The) Heavy Sun” talks about an imaginary place, where the spirit rises from the ground from hurt to glory.”

He also discussed his contribution to the soundtrack for Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2, released in 2019. “I don’t come from the video game world as a player, but I appreciate that such an invitation came my way. And it was certainly an opportunity to ride the wave of what these people had started, and I thought, what an incredible force in modern culture, that this would even exist.” A live show at New York’s The Battery for the soundtrack took place in June with appearances from R&B legend D’Angelo and Rhiannon Giddens.