In the lyric video for the latest Phosphorescent single “Revelator,” singer and songwriter Matthew Houck sits alone in a boat and paddles slowly as he sings “I got tired of sadness / I got tired of all the madness / I got tired of bein’ a badass all the time.” His personal brand of folk has often felt wistful and reflective but this latest song feels like an especially poignant one for the Americana-inspired artist. In a press release, he writes “This is the song that made me realize I was writing an album. There’s always one that does that. Until then I’m sort of floundering around with a bunch of song bits in various stages. With no clear picture of what it is I’m doing.” He finishes by declaring that “I think it might be the best song I’ve ever written.”
Phosphorescent fans have been waiting patiently for a new studio album since the release of his last, C’est La Vie, six years ago. His previous release, The Full Moon Project, was more unexpected: a covers collection reimagining tracks by Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac and others. The songs were first released as singles for each full moon in 2022. Phosphorescent is no stranger to World Cafe Live, having performed a Free at Noon show in 2018 and at NON-COMM in 2019. He returns for a sold out Free at Noon set this Friday, January 26th. Revelator will be released by Verve on April 5th.