Matt Pond’s songs are ultimately about connection: wanting it, running from it, mourning the loss of it. We all struggle for points of emotional contact, and his words and melodies have deftly chronicled that. Today, Matt releases the title track off his upcoming album The Ballad of the Natural Lines,” set to be released January 7, 2025.

I wrote “The Ballad of the Natural Lines” after we formed our band of the same name for Bella Union. Releasing an album with Simon Raymonde was a dream, but it was tough reconnecting with people who knew me by my real name. Then it hit me—after all those years of running in circles, maybe the answer was simple. I should just be myself until the end.

I met comedian / writer Sean O’Connor while he was opening and I was tour managing for Nikki Glaser. He’s a brilliant human being, and our conversation often circled around our love of film. With him and his partner Erin Magner in Los Angeles, and me in New York, this bi-coastal dream of a video for “The Ballad of the Natural Lines” was born. On the East Coast, it’s autumn—beautiful but fading. Out West, with Sean’s son, it’s all just beginning.

I still remember the first moment I became aware of myself. I was on a tire swing in Jefferson, NH, looking down at the spring ground as I swung back and forth. A purple flower caught my eye, and I swore I’d never forget it. The line from there to now has been a wild one.

Anya Marina and Erin Rae sang beautiful backups. John Courage and Chris Hansen played brilliant guitars. Hilary James and Dan Ford crushed the bass and drums, respectively.