New Lost Ages marks Tyler Ramsey’s first official run-in with esteemed producer Phil Ek since Band Of Horses’ Infinite Arms. That lush and moody 2010 masterpiece earned Ramsey’s former employer a Grammy nomination for Best Alternative Album. And while his last solo album, 2019’s For The Morning, had its moments, this one is where he truly finds his artistic focus, proving once and for all that Ramsey had far more to offer BOH than the occasional understated gem and a sympathetic lead guitar.
A day before the release of New Lost Ages (Soundly Music), Ramsey presents one last impressive teaser. “Fires” is the second of 10 tracks recorded with Ek at Avast! Recording Co. in Seattle. Humble almost to a fault, Ramsey seeks his own sort of modest transcendence through songwriting, and he’s found the right producer in Ek. The album is a triumph of emotional resonance and well-considered sonic depth—as grand scale as it is intimate, as buoyed by hope as it is achingly sad. “Fires” is the perfect showpiece for those contrasts.
“It’s about climbing out of a hole somebody tried to push me in—getting your footing again after dealing with dark times and insincere people,” says Tyler. “I carried this song for many miles, and most of it was written on trails near my house as I tried to walk out of the way I’d been feeling.”
We’re proud to premiere “Fires.”
—Hobart Rowland
Catch Tyler Ramsey live.
