Big Red Machine is Aaron Dessner (The National) and Justin Vernon ( Bon Iver), the project includes a rotating group of friends and musicians. Their forthcoming release How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last? was produced by Dessner at his Long Pond studio in upstate New York. The album drops on August 27th via 37d03d.

Ahead of the release of How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?, Big Red Machine will be sharing a selection of tracks. Today, they have shared the track “Latter Days,” sung by Vernon and Anaïs Mitchell that set the emotional tenor for what was to come. “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. She defined the whole record when she sang that, as these same themes kept appearing again and again,” Dessner says.

On How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last?, many of Dessner’s previous collaborators and friends show up for him here, continuing the reciprocal exchange of ideas that has come to define his creative community. Songs feature guest vocals and writing contributions from artist friends including Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold (“Phoenix”), Ben Howard and This Is The Kit (“June’s a River”), Naeem (“Easy to Sabotage’), Sharon Van Etten, Lisa Hannigan and My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Nova (“Hutch,” a tune inspired by Dessner’s late friend, Frightened Rabbit frontman Scott Hutchison) and Swift herself (“Birch” and “Renegade”; the latter was recorded in Los Angeles at the Kitty Committee studio in March 2021.

“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,” says Dessner, who for the first time also handles lead vocals on three tracks. “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 Vernon, Bryce Dessner and a community of musicians and creatives, the 37d03d (PEOPLE) collective was launched in 2016. 37d03d produces multi-artist events and operates an independent record label, all with the goal of supporting and encouraging collaboration.

Big Red Machine
How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last
tracklist

Latter Days (feat. Anaïs Mitchell)
Reese
Phoenix (feat. Fleet Foxes and Anaïs Mitchell)
Birch (feat. Taylor Swift)
Renegade (feat. Taylor Swift)
The Ghost of Cincinnati
Hoping Then
Mimi (feat. Ilsey)
Easy to Sabotage (feat. Naeem)
Hutch (feat. Sharon Van Etten, Lisa Hannigan, and Shara Nova [My Brightest Diamond])
8:22am (feat. La Force)
Magnolia
June’s a River (feat. Ben Howard and This Is The Kit)
Brycie
New Auburn (feat. Anaïs Mitchell)

Pre-order is available HERE.