The National's Aaron Dessner helped produce both of Taylor Swift's latest albums (Folklore and Evermore), and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon was featured on both, now the pop star is returning the favor by recording two songs on the duo's latest Big Red Machine album. On Tuesday (June 29), the pair announced its sophomore record How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last?, and the tracklist reveals a number of impressive features. In addition to Swift, Fleet Foxes, Anaïs Mitchell, Isley, Naeem, Sharon Van Etten, Lisa Hannigan, My Brightest Diamond's Shara Nova, La Force, Ben Howard and This Is The Kit.
“This is all music I initially generated and feel emotionally connected to, but it has been very interesting to hear how different people relate to it and how different voices collide with it,” Dessner said in a statement. “That’s what makes it special. With everyone that's on this record, there's an openness, a creative generosity and an emotional quality that connects it all together.”
Along with the album announcement, Big Red Machine shared its first single, "Latter Days," which features Mitchell singing with Vernon. “It was clear to Anaïs that the early sketch Justin and I made of ‘Latter Days’ was about childhood, or loss of innocence and nostalgia for a time before you’ve grown into adulthood — before you’ve hurt people or lost people and made mistakes," Dessner explained. "She defined the whole record when she sang that, as these same themes kept appearing again and again.”
How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? is slated for an August 27 release. Listen to "Latter Days" above and check out the full tracklist below.
How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last? Tracklist
01 Latter Days [ft. Anaïs Mitchell]
02 Reese
03 Phoenix [ft. Fleet Foxes and Anaïs Mitchell]
04 Birch [ft. Taylor Swift]
05 Renegade [ft. Taylor Swift]
06 The Ghost of Cincinnati
07 Hoping Then
08 Mimi [ft. Ilsey]
09 Easy to Sabotage [ft. Naeem]
10 Hutch [ft. Sharon Van Etten, Lisa Hannigan and My Brightest Diamond]
11 8:22am [ft. La Force]
12 Magnolia
13 June’s a River [ft. Ben Howard and This Is The Kit]
14 Brycie
15 New Auburn [ft. Anaïs Mitchell]