Karen Peris of The Innocence Mission releasing solo album a song is way above the lawn this fall; watch the animated “i would sing along” video

Long running folk trio The Innocence Mission is a Pennsylvania music treasure, and the voice behind the Lancaster band is releasing her second solo album this October. Karen Peris‘ a song is way above the lawn seems to exist in the middle ground between music for children and music for their parents — or anybody, for that matter.

On Bandcamp, she describes it as “An illustrated album, for kids or for anyone who might like songs about walking under trees in a city, seeing dogs from a car window, reading, encountering gentle lions in the public library, listening to the first sounds of the morning, looking at stars, thinking about giraffes, and elephants, and the beauty of the world, the possibility contained in a tiny moment of a day.” The sound is equally fluid, coming across lullaby-like at one moment — Peris’ soft, whispered vocal, fingerpicked guitar floating adrift in serenity — but also echoing The Innocence Mission’s expansive, eclectic sound, especially when the beat kicks in on lead single “i would sing along.”

The song is gentle, dreamy folk at its core, definitely something that fans of Belle & Sebastian and early 70s pre-disco Bee Gees would do well to check out. The song was a family affair, with her husband and bandmate Don Peris on drums, and her children Drew and Anna playing violin and viola. The lyrics are picturesque, setting scenes of walking in the street and taking seaside vacations, which come to life in a playful animated music video illustrated by Karen herself.

Watch below; a song is way above the lawn is out October 8th, and can be preordered here.