Composer and multi-instrumentalist Yasmin Williams has announced her new album, Acadia, which arrives October 4 via Nonesuch—marking Williams’ debut on the label. Today, Williams reveals lead single “Virga,” which features guest vocals from indie-folk outfit Darlingside. Hear that below, and scroll down for the album art and tracklist.
Acadia consists of nine, largely instrumental songs, all written and produced by Williams. She also plays a host of instruments on the record: guitar, banjo, calabash drum, kora, and even tap shoes. Williams enlisted contributions from saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, singer Aoife O’Donovan, rhythm bones player Dom Flemons, and more.
“Acadia has several meanings,” Williams noted in a press release. She continued:
Of the lead single “Virga,” Williams added: “A virga is a meteorological phenomenon where streaks of rain hang from a cloud and evaporate before reaching the ground. I related this sentiment to how it feels for me to be an artist in an industry that doesn’t seem to always value art and reflection. I eventually realized that I needed to learn how to thrive ‘in virga,’ so to speak. To learn to be okay with feeling slightly suspended in time, with my hopes and dreams dangling in an environment I have no control over, never fully having my feet planted on the ground.”
Acadia follows Yasmin Williams’ breakout 2021 full-length Urban Driftwood. Read more about her in “25 New and Rising Artists Shaping the Future of Music in 2023.”
