Jackson Browne Announces New Album, ‘Downhill From Everywhere’
Jackson Browne has announced a new album, Downhill From Everywhere. The LP, his first in six years, will arrive on July 23.
“On the surface, it’s about living in L.A.,” Browne said in a press release. "But it’s really a metaphor for life itself. I adore this city, but I’ve been trying to leave since around the time I finished my first album. You can love and appreciate and depend on a life as you know it, but deep down you may also long for something else, even if you don’t know what it is.”
Nevertheless, Browne stuck close to home for the album. “Lately, I find that much of the writing process takes place in the studio,” he noted. “The music is informed by the way that everyone interacts with it in the room, and there’s this journey of exploring and cutting and recutting that can lead you to places you never would have ended up at on your own.”
That process has also led Browne to some interesting collaborations. Browne has shared a new single, "My Cleveland Heart," with a video featuring acclaimed singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers. The pair has collaborated before. Earlier this year, Bridgers invited Browne to join her for a rendition of her song "Kyoto."
You can watch the video below.
“What an honor to collaborate with Jackson,” said video director Alissa Torvinen, whom Browne selected after seeing her video for Bridgers’ “I Know the End." “His creativity is inspiring, not solely in music, but in everything he puts his energy into. We came up with a script for the video very serendipitously, and Phoebe joining us was a wonderful surprise. The way she received Jackson's heart and the shot of her watching from the wings . . . perfectly dark and poetic and Phoebe.”
“I thought it was really appropriate to take out my worn-out, useless heart and hand it to Phoebe,” Browne said to Rolling Stone. “Who better to hand [it] to than somebody young, strong and possibly as cynical as me?”
Last year, Browne released a song called "Downhill From Everywhere." While no track listing has been announced yet for the album, the song will probably be included on it.
Beginning in July, just a few days after the album's release, Browne will be hitting the road alongside James Taylor for a run of North American shows. “Of course, we will be keeping a close eye and abide with all health and safety protocols throughout each venue and state,” they said in a joint statement. “We can’t wait to get back onstage and see you out there soon.”