Photo credit is Sam Pittman

Sam Beam of Iron & Wine and Ben Bridwell from Band of Horses are once again joining forces for a new collaborative release, according to Stereogum. The longtime friends and musical partners, who first teamed up in 2015 for their joint album Sing Into My Mouth, have revealed another project featuring reinterpretations of songs by other artists. 

Their upcoming EP, Making Good Time, is set to arrive this September, and the first preview comes in the form of an unexpected but captivating acoustic version of Kendrick Lamar and SZA’s hit track “Luther.” Beam and Bridwell laid down the recordings for the EP earlier this year in North Carolina alongside producer Brad Cook. 

Bridwell explained in a press release what it felt like to revisit this creative partnership. “Working with Sam again feels like a homecoming in so many ways. To circle back ten years after Sing Into My Mouth and expand the project is a wonderful dream relived.”

Regarding their song choice, Bridwell also said, “I chose to focus on ‘Luther’ after kinda hitting a wall wondering which songs would be best to contribute. After much hand-wringing, it hit me, ‘Why not just do my favorite song?’ I’d been playing the then newly released GNX album on repeat and that song in particular with my girls to the point of exhaustion.”

He continued, “About a week later, Kendrick strangled the game at the Super Bowl and ‘Luther’ would soon become a number 1 hit for so many weeks. Seems a little late now to share this as it’s been many months since recording it, but I knew that damn song was headed for big things. Praying we did some justice.”

In addition to “Luther,” the Making Good Time EP features covers of tracks by U2, Foreigner, Roxy Music, and boygenius. Highlights include U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and boygenius’s “Ketchum, ID.” 

Making Good Time will be released on September 12. Pre-orders are available now.

In other news, Sam Beam of Iron & Wine recently contributed a track to the soundtrack of the indie drama The Quiet Season. The band also recently released a collaborative single and video titled “Robin’s Egg” with Americana trio I’m With Her. 

Meanwhile, Ben Bridwell and Band of Horses will soon be wrapping up a summer tour supporting their 2022 album Things Are Great and have teased that they’ve begun demoing material for their next full-length release, though no official timeline has been announced.