Semisonic released their new song, “Out of the Dirt” featuring Jason Isbell, as one of their lead singles for their upcoming album, Little Bit of Sun, to be released in November. The song was co-written by Semisonic’s Dan Wilson and songwriter Lori McKenna. 

The song begins with an enticing beat generated collectively with piano keys and drums. Wilson tells Stereogum, “I told Lori I was hoping to make something with a stomping beat and hypnotic, lyrical chant.” 

Following this beat comes as what Wilson describes, a “chant”. Lyrics begin with “out of the dirt / out of the dirt/ back into the dirt we go / nothing to lose / nothing to lose / looking for a way back home”. The lyrics and melody carry a rustic, masculine spirit emanating a blue-sy rock rhythm. The tone is heavy, grunge-bearing, and perfectly encapsulates their forte of modern rock. 

According to Stereogum, originally, it was just Wilson on the piano, John Munson on bass and Jacob Slichter on drums, but the band felt like something was missing. “As we were cutting the track, everyone agreed it needed some hot lead guitar. But instead of adding a guitar of my own later, we reached out to Jason Isbell to see if he wanted to throw down. The answer was yes and the results speak for themselves: Jason fucking rocks, as we already knew” he tells Stereogum. 

The two instruments and vocals are shortly followed by subtle introductions of the electric guitar throughout the song up until the bridge. Isbell’s guitar solo completes a majority of the bridge and seems to add an electric thrill to the overall song. 

Since Semisonic has been on their 22 year hiatus, Wilson has written alongside a plethora of different artists including Adele, Chris Stapelton, Celine Dion, Taylor Swift, and more. For the first time since 2001, Semisonic steps back out into the spotlight to remind us of their undeniable talents.

To read more about Wilson working with Chris Stapleton visit this link.