Maia Friedman announces her new album, Goodbye Long Winter Shadow, will arrive on May 9th via Last Gang Records, Ahead of the album’s arrival, the artist has shared “New Flowers.” Friedman spent months writing the album. Produced with Philip Weinrobe (Adrianne Lenker, Florist) and Oliver Hill (Magdalena Bay, Helado Negro).

To begin writing Goodbye Long Winter Shadow, Friedman visited her parents’ home in California and searched their book collection. She was drawn to the zen poetry of Jim Harrison’s After Ikkyū, its sparse forms and momentary bursts of humor. From inspiration, Friedman built a method for writing her album, one she describes as “writing writing writing – editing editing editing – repeat.” After Friedman worked over the words and chords alone with a guitar for months, she turned to Hill to orchestrate parts for strings and woodwinds, having him develop the arrangements further each time a song’s section would return. The resulting songs are immaculately balanced.

Friedman wrote today’s “New Flowers” during a Song a Day week led by Weinrobe. Demoed in her music room with just an Omnichord, it’s probably the most pop-forward song on the album. The track is “about love lost, and the inevitable process of losing oneself and finding oneself again,” says Friedman. “I enlisted my dear friend Hannah Cohen to sing harmonies, and the closing guitarmony solo was dueled out by Maddy Baltor and I, side by side. It was joyful to say the least. We knew this one needed drums so we called in the legendary Kenny Wollesen and he got it on the first take. I love how Oliver Hill interpreted my demo into this beautiful arrangement for woodwinds and strings.” The video for “New Flowers” was directed by Ryan Faist and is made of collected studio footage filmed during the recording of Goodbye Long Winter Shadow.

Many stories of becoming are woven into the lyrics of Goodbye Long Winter Shadow. In them, the influence of her mother, a Jungian analyst and scholar of mythology, is felt. “She writes of artworks, dreams and myths, and draws connections between the imagery, archetypes and cultures that tell similar stories in different ways,” says Friedman. “It’s a very holistic approach to talking about and exploring mythology and fairytales.” Goodbye Long Winter Shadow is full of elegant evolution as Friedman, in the refinement of her craft and her new identity as a mother, finds new depths to explore. At turns it feels both fresh and like a private press record unearthed for cult listening. It marks new heights for a songwriter operating with supreme confidence.

Maia Friedman
Goodbye Long Winter Shadow
Tracklist
Last Gang

1.Happy
2. New Flowers
3. In A Dream It Could Happen
4. Iapetus Crater
5. Russian Blue
6. Suppersup
7. A Long Straight Path
8. On Passing
9. Foggy
10. Vessel
11. A Heavenly Body
12. Open Book
12. Soft Pall Soft Hue
13. Shape Is Your Own
14. Witness

Maia Friedman Tour Dates

Wed. March 19 – Boston, MA @ City Winery*
Thu. March 20 – New York, NY @ Joe’s Pub*
Fri. March 21 – Washington, DC @ Pearl Street Warehouse*
Wed. April 2 – Chicago, IL @ Old Town School of Folk Music*
Thu. April 3 – Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre*
Fri. April 4 – Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center*
Sat. April 5 – Milwaukee, WI @ Vivarium*
Wed. April 30 – Vancouver, BC @ Hollywood Theatre*
Fri. May 2 – Seattle, WA @ Triple Door*
Sat. May 3 – Portland, OR @ Mission Theater*
Mon. May 5 – San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel*
Wed. May 7 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever*

*supporting Basia Bulat

Pre-order Goodbye Long Winter Shadow HERE