V2 records news – Cass McCombs, new single ‘i never dream about trains’

CASS MCCOMBS, New Single, "I Never Dream About Trains"
ALBUM "INTERIOR LIVE OAK"
OUT 15 AUGUST

I Never Dream About Trains - Single by Cass McCombs | Spotify

Cass McCombs today releases the new single, 'I Never Dream About Trains' the final preview from his new album, Interior Live Oak, out next Friday, 15 August, via Domino. Following the irresistible serpentine riffs of 'Peace', 'I Never Dream About Trains' is piano-driven and melancholic. Reflecting the personal, revealing nature of Interior Live Oak, the song finds Cass singing to a past lover, with the entire song repeating a single memory. He sings: "I never dream about holding you tight // On the sand in Pescadero // Knowing I'd never hold you again // You know I never lie in my songs // And I never dream about trains." The song's accompanying lyric video was directed by Eugene Shakemup and M. Arnoux.

Interior Live Oak, more than any previous record, shows Cass' vast range as a lyricist and musician, in keeping with The Guardian's proclamation that he is "one of America's most reliably excellent singer-songwriters". The album draws from everything he has created over two decades of experimentation to cut through with a direct and clarifying light. Throughout, his attitude is hopeful, which may sound odd for someone who often sings about the more extreme aspects of modern life. Interior Live Oak, however, is the resolve of someone who has lived those extremes.

In creating Interior Live Oak, Cass was inspired by the return to Domino and the revisitation of his early material in last year's reissue campaign and the archival release, Seed Cake on Leap Year. This led him to work with some of his earliest collaborators in the Bay Area, including Jason Quever (Papercuts) and Chris Cohen, among others. Additional recording in New York City brought contributions from other perennial collaborators, including Matt Sweeney and Mike Bones, whose guitar work has always been a favourable complement to Cass' own distinctive style.

Having played shows so far this year with Beth Gibbons and Beach House, coinciding with the release of Interior Live Oak, next week Cass begins a UK tour with a show at London's Bush Hall on 20 Aug as well as shows in Bristol and Manchester. He will also play a stripped back in-store at Rough Trade East on 14 August as well as playing this year's Green Man Festival and tours Europe with a mix of headline, festival, and support dates with Father John Misty. He'll then return to the US for two headline dates in California and a show with MJ Lenderman.