Julian Lage Recruits Bill Frisell For Stunning Acoustic Track ‘This World’

Julian Lage has released “This World,” a new acoustic song featuring Lage and Bill Frisell alone on acoustic guitars. The song is from his upcoming new album, The Layers, available via Blue Note Records on Friday, March 17. Pre-orders are available now.

“’This World’ was originally written as a drone piece for the trio featuring Bill Frisell,” says Lage. “The idea was to state the melody and then have Bill soar on top of the groove as it steadily built more intensely, always remaining tethered to the E drone. After rehearsals, it seemed clear that it made more sense to go the other direction–more intimate, just two acoustic guitars approaching the song more gently and sparsely. I think this piece found its home in this more resonant realm.”

A stunning companion piece to last year’s View With A Room, The Layers was first heralded earlier this month with the premiere of its title track, which is also available now at all streaming services alongside an official live trio performance video streaming now on YouTube.

“At its core, The Layers is a prequel to View With A Room,” says Julian Lage. “It has all the musical seeds that grew into what I consider the touchstones of View With A Room–a duo with Bill, a duo with Jorge, more atmospheric and expansive writing, Dave and Jorge’s incredible rhythmic and orchestral sensibilities.

“View With A Room is a comprehensive look at these musical qualities we were so excited to explore in the studio, and The Layers offers a distillation of the various relationships within the ensemble and production team. Taken as a whole, The Layers has a heartbeat all of its own.”

Lage will mark the arrival of The Layers with a busy international live schedule, including sold-out headlining shows, festival performances, and more. North American dates will be announced soon.

Pre-order The Layers.