Okkervil River frontman Will Sheff has announced his debut solo album Nothing Special for release on October 7 via ATO Records. Sheff has also shared his latest song and accompanying video “Estrangement Zone.”

“When I was just a kid, I got caught up in the dream of being a rock and roll star. Like so many other young people, I fell in love with the idea of being called to this glorious path outside of ordinary life. And I ended up in a band with people who felt this same call – especially our brilliant drummer Travis Nelsen, who was like a brother to me,” Sheff offered on the new album.

 He went on to say that Nelsen and him had a falling out and that he tragically passed away during the Covid-19 lockdown. His new album serves as a way to grieve the loss as well as the loss that everyone felt during the pandemic. He also discusses what he calls “the rock and roll myth” which is centered on the idea of an unattainable “exceptionalism” in the genre. 

In addition to the album release, Sheff will be touring North America this fall starting with a kick off show in Los Angeles, California at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever. He will then visit Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan before performing in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at the Great Hall. He will then return to the U.S., playing in Georgia, North Carolina, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts. Sheff’s closing show is scheduled for November 21 in Portland, Maine at SPACE.  

Nothing Special Tracklist
1. The Spiral Season
2. In The Thick Of It
3. Estrangement Zone
4. Nothing Special
5. Holy Man
6. Like The Last Time
7. Marathon Girl
8. Evidence

Will Sheff Fall 2022 North American Tour Dates
10/07 — Los Angeles, CA @ Masonic Lodge @ Hollywood Forever (Release Show)
11/03 — Iowa City, IA @ Englert Theatre
11/04 — Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center
11/05 — Chicago, IL @ Old Town School of Folk Music
11/06 — Milwaukee, WI @ Collectivo
11/08 — Bloomington, IN @ Buskirk-Chumley Theater
11/09 — Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
11/10 — Toronto, ON @ Great Hall
11/11 — Ferndale, MI @ Otus Supply
11/13 — Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
11/14 — Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle
11/15 — Washington DC @ Black Cat
11/17 — Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live
11/18 — New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge
11/19 — Woodstock, NY @ Colony
11/20 — Somerville, MA @ Crystal Ballroom
11/21 — Portland, ME @ SPACE

Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat