Okkervil River frontman Will Sheff has shared a new song called “Nothing Special,” the title track to his upcoming debut solo album.
“Nothing Special” is a sparse, medieval-referencing waltz, as Sheff reflects on the past over delicate piano and finger-picked guitar. “Hard waves are gonna break/ You’ll be covering your face/ But amazingly, you’ll make it through/ ‘Cause you’re nothing special,” he sings, with the wisdom of one who’s grown out of their phase of youthful rebellion. The song comes with a cinematic music video directed by John Paul Horstmann, which you can watch below.
Nothing Special arrives in full on October 7th via ATO Records, and pre-orders are ongoing. In a press release, Sheff described the album as a vehicle for mourning late Okkervil River drummer Travis Nelsen, “grieving for everything my friends have lost, grieving for the rock and rock and roll myth, and trying to open my eyes to a more transcendent reality.” He first previewed the album with the single “Estrangement Zone,” which featured a similarly minimalist arrangement.
In Ocotber, Sheff will head out on a North American tour, and tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster. The artist’s last album was the 2018 Okkervil River LP In the Rainbow Rain.