After years of work in Zooey Deschanel’s night job, She & Him, along with other side projects like the supergroup, Monsters of Folk, it’s time again for M.Ward to return to his comparatively underrated solo career.
“The First Time I Ran Away” is the first video off “A Wasteland Companion,” which will be released on Merge, April 10th. This record will be M.Ward’s follow up to his 2009 record, “Hold Time.” Containing his usual brand of haunting folk, the video is directed by Joel Trussell, who previously worked on Ward’s “Chinese Translation” video.”
With M.Ward getting more exposure in recent years as the silent partner in She & Him, it’s easy to forget about his own work. While Zooey Deschanel’s songwriting focuses more on girl group arrangements or June Carter referencing, Ward’s records is more rooted in woodsy folk, his sandpaper voice being a surprisingly soothing compliment to his acoustic phrasing and electric rockabilly leads.
“The First Time I Ran Away” keeps things on the mellow side, riding a consistent strum through some heavenly layered vocals. Check out the clip below.
M.Ward – “The First Time I Ran Away”
