Following the recent announcement of Thalia Zedek Band’s new album Perfect Vision (Thrill Jockey), out August 27th, and the special 20th-anniversary reissue of Zedek’s debut solo release Been Here and Gone out July 23rd, the guitarist has shared new single “Cranes”. On “Cranes,” Thalia Zedek Band’s steady swagger is buoyed by glistening, sublime melodic lines from Zedek’s longtime friend and pedal steel guitarist Karan Zarisian whose slides answer Zedek’s resolute voice in an intimate conversation between friends. Written as a political response to the Trump administration’s aggressive anti-immigration policies, particularly on the southern border with Mexico, “Cranes” transmutes Zedek’s fervor and resilience into a sobering lament, a potent rallying cry for change with a sense of poignance that few possess.

Thalia Zedek is an artist of immutable stature and unceasing vitality. The legendary songwriter’s fiery voice and frank lyricism give her songs both their emotional potency and their stark beauty. Zedek is able to distill complex events into simple, clear, and at times monumentally weighty moments with a singular grace. Through ballads or bluster, Zedek imbues her music with unguarded honesty. New album Perfect Vision examines the anxiety and pain of rising divisions between people both physical and ideological. Every challenge and sadness Zedek forces us to see is met in equal measure by her defiant guitar and dissenting voice, a torch illuminating a path for the listener to navigate through the darkness.