Devon Welsh Yearns to Abandon Earth on New Single "Grace" (KEXP Premiere + Exclusive Stream)

It’s been three years since Majical Cloudz, the duo of Devon Welsh and Matthew Otto, announced their retirement of the project after four albums. Last year, Welsh returned with his debut solo record, Dream Songs, a 10-track collection of sincere and spacious string-filled songs.

Next month, Welsh will quickly follow that up with his second solo record, True Love. The Canadian crooner strips things down even further for his sophomore effort, using sparse and straightforward instrumental arrangements that put the emphasis on his captivating and distinctive voice. Previous singles “Faces,” “War,” and “Somebody Loves You” are all built upon delicate twinkling synths, creating an intimate and meditative atmosphere.

Today, KEXP is premiering and exclusively streaming the fourth single off True Love, “Grace.” Written in 2017, the song is a minimalist guitar strummer that sees Welsh searching for something greater or better than this planet we currently reside on and are continually destroying. “I will turn away / From the shivering world / Though I am the child / Of that old and rotten place,” Welsh beautifully bellows amongst the gentle strumming.

“It's a song about freedom, boredom and space travel,” explains Welsh to KEXP. “It's a bit of an outlier on True Love, both because of the guitar and also because of the lyrical themes. I would like an astronaut to perform it on the International Space Station."

With the emergence of commercial space companies like SpaceX and Boeing working hard to figure out how to colonize outer space, it’s very possible Welsh could have his wish. Listen to the exclusive 24-hour stream of “Grace” ahead of its official release tomorrow, September 20, below.

True Love is out October 11 via Welsh’s own label You Are Accepted. He’ll be in Seattle on Thursday, November 14 to play The Auditorium at UHeights.