Ben Nichols, frontman and songwriter for the long-running Memphis rock band Lucero, released the new single and music video, “The Darkness Sings,” a twangy slow burner laced with haunting electric guitar flourishes that reflects on the quiet, inescapable presence of darkness. It’s the latest single from Nichol’s sophomore solo album In the Heart of the Mountain (Liberty & Lament) out on July 25. The album is one of his most personal pieces of work to date and marks his first solo release in 16 years since 2009’s acclaimed The Last Pale Light in the West.

“‘The Darkness Sings’ was an unfinished outtake from the Last Wolf in the Woods synth record I made with my stepdaughter Joslyn Milburn,” says Nichols. “That record was about a daughter saving her father from the darkness that surrounded him. This song is about a loved one having to say goodbye. The ‘Darkness’ in this version of the song isn’t necessarily portrayed as bad or good but it is there and it must be reckoned with.”

“The Darkness Sings” follows lead single “Fading Back Into the Night” which was released with an accompanying music video shot by photographer Chad Cochran and edited by Nichols.

In the Heart of the Mountain features Nichols on acoustic guitar and vocals, as well as occasional electric guitar solo and percussion. He is accompanied by Morgan Eve Swain (The Huntress and the Holder of Hands, The Devil Makes Three, Brown Bird) on violin and backing vocals, Cory Branan on electric and acoustic guitars, and Todd Beene (Chuck Ragan, Glossary) on pedal steel and electric guitars. It was recorded at Southern Grooves studio in Memphis, Tennessee, with Matt Ross-Spang as the recording and mixing engineer.

“I’d say In the Heart of the Mountain is the closest I’ve come to making an album completely on my own terms,” Nichols reflects. “I had help from a great engineer and great friends who also happened to be amazing studio musicians, but it was self-produced. I wrote it without input from anyone else. There were no band members to negotiate parts and approaches with. It wasn’t based on a novel or a theme. The only inspiration was that desire to create something that lived in my memories of those rivers, fields, and mountains, in that mythological Arkansas my family called home, where I grew up. I haven’t been able to get back there nearly as often as I would like.”

Nichols’ will set out on a run of solo tour dates this July and August, including shows in his hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas as well as St. Louis, Columbus, Cleveland and more. See the full list of tour dates below.

Ben Nichols Solo Tour Dates:

July 5 – Fischer, TX – Devil’s Backbone [SOLD OUT]
July 24 – Little Rock, AR – Whitewater Tavern
July 25 – Little Rock, AR – Whitewater Tavern [SOLD OUT]
July 26 – Tulsa, OK – Mercury Lounge
July 27 – St. Louis, MO – Golden Record
July 29 – Indianapolis, IN – Hi-Fi Indy
July 30 – Lexington, KY – The Burl
July 31 – Columbus, OH – Rumba Café
August 2 – Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop
August 3 – Huntington, WV – The Loud
August 5 – Morgantown, WV – 123 Pleasant Street
August 6 – Knoxville, TN – Open Chord Music
August 7 – Greenville, SC – Radio Room
August 8 – Chattanooga, TN – Cherry Street Tavern