The New World by Shearwater, a 2026 album.
The New World, the eleventh studio album by the Texans Shearwater, marks the band’s return, led by Jonathan Meiburg, after four years of silence, yet filled by a long journey of exploration, research and experimentation.
Jonathan Meiburg, besides being a musician, is also a passionate ornithologist and writer. He wanted to include in the record real natural sounds and elements (like wind, ice, and animal calls) that he encountered during his travels. His goal is to make the listener match, as closely as possible, the world in their head with the real one. And he pulled it off brilliantly.
The New World marks an epochal change for Shearwater. After tying their path to historic labels in the alternative scene, the band decided to take the reins of the album’s production and funding, releasing it through their own label, Polyborus Music, in collaboration with Secretly Distribution.
Recording took place in several cities, including London, Berlin, New York, and their longtime headquarters in Texas, to capture different atmospheres and influences. Dan Duszynski handled the main sound production, with additional contributions from Leo Abrahams and Danny Reisch, the latter responsible for the final mix together with the band at the sound studios in Los Angeles.
For their new album, Shearwater present themselves as a three-piece lineup, enriched by a stellar cast of international musicians.
Jonathan Meiburg: vocals, guitar and lyrics, is the band’s frontman and founder. He is also known for co-founding Okkervil River with Will Sheff and for his side project Loma, born in 2017.
Dan Duszynski: takes care of sound engineering and is a multi-instrumentalist. A true Texan, he is a key figure in Loma and in the avant-garde duo Cross Record.
Emily Lee: Pianist and keyboardist, she has long collaborated with Shearwater and Loma, both in the studio and live.
For “The New World”, Meiburg said he put together “the wildest ensemble ever seen”, drawing heavily from jazz, avant-garde, and world music.
The album explores the relationship between humans and nature, questioning our perception of reality. Jonathan Meiburg wanted to create a record that would push the listener to connect with the real world, going beyond the illusions created by the ego. Unlike traditional singer-songwriter fare, which uses nature as a metaphor for one’s feelings, Shearwater treat it as an autonomous and mysterious entity. Meiburg’s experience as a scientist and explorer is central to the album, which integrates field recordings of terrestrial ecosystems with traditional instruments, creating a unique sonic experience.
This album explores truly fascinating sonic territories that make this band one of the most original and daring acts in contemporary music. Its style is cinematic, ambient art rock, a sumptuous, image-rich mix, perfectly placeable within Crossover Prog.
Far from traditional rock, the songs are full of microtonal details, with Emily Lee’s piano and the avant-garde arrangements taking center stage. Broad and spot-on is the use of field recordings, environmental sounds recorded on location by Jonathan Meiburg, like coyote calls, Tasmanian rivers, or the toll of distant bells, which blend with the music, creating a hybrid between ambient pop and experimental world music.
The album, made up of nine tracks, flows like a continuous stream and features some truly notable moments. “Even Song”, the opening track, ushers in this new sonic world with an enveloping, hypnotic crescendo. “Daydream Unbeliever” is marked by a strong melodic component that, while keeping the band’s experimental approach, is accessible and impactful. “Slugs in the Marigolds”, instead, introduces a more pronounced rhythm, breaking the album’s ethereal drift, enriched by the dense interweaving of percussion from the Malian musicians invited to the sessions.
The closing track, “You and Your Dog”, is in my opinion the emotional peak and the masterpiece of the album. Over its seven minutes, it unfolds on a minimal, aching piano base that slowly grows with the entry of avant-garde winds and strings. What makes this piece unique is the extraordinary participation of Laurie Anderson, whose unmistakable spoken voice interacts with Meiburg’s solemn singing, creating an intimate, mystical finale of very strong emotional impact that perfectly closes the concept of the entire album.
A magnificent album, which immediately climbed to the top of my personal ranking of 2026 albums and stands among the best albums of the last decade. A Must!
My Version
Label: Polyborus Music – PLBR003LP
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: Worldwide
Released: 31 Jul 2026
Tracklist
A1 Even Song
A2 More And More
A3 Daydream Unbeliever
A4 A Mink In The Dusk
A5 The Only Sound I’m Afraid Of
B1 The High Ranges
B2 Slugs In The Marigolds
B3 Anamnesia
B4 You And Your Dog
Lineup
Calabash – Moctar Kouyate
Cello – Lia Pikus
Drum [Tongue Drum], Congas – Thor Harris
Drums [Drum Kit], Percussion, Bass, Piano, Guitar, Synthesizer – Shahzad Ismaily
Fretless Guitar [Fretless Baritone Guitar] – Max Hare
Guitar, Synthesizer, Effects [Treatments] – Leo Abrahams
Kanun [Qanun] – Firaz Zriek
Ngoni [Bass Ngoni] – Mamadou Kouyate
Percussion – Danny Reisch
Percussion [Tamma, Yabara] – Mahamadou Tounkara
Performer [Shearwater] – Dan Duszynski, Emily Lee, Jonathan Meiburg
Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Flute – Doug Wieselman
Voice – Laurie Anderson
