TL;DR
Sound artist and fiddle player Courtney Werner has announced her debut solo album, Tritium Forests, due Feb. 26 on Thrill Jockey. The announced lead single, “sierra one whiskey eight,” draws on recordings of coyotes, barred owls and whip-poor-wills; Werner says she imagined joining their soundscape.
Courtney Werner, the sound artist and fiddle player known for work with Magic Tuber Stringband, Dowsers and Weirs, has announced her debut solo album, Tritium Forests. The record is scheduled for Feb. 26 on Thrill Jockey, and Werner has shared “sierra one whiskey eight” as its lead single, a track inspired by recordings of wildlife calls.
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The album announcement marks Werner’s first solo release, according to the report by Stereogum. The source identifies her as both a sound artist and fiddle player, and describes Tritium Forests as continuing to blur the line between her music and her work as an ecologist. It does not provide further details about the album’s recording process or instrumentation.
Werner said “sierra one whiskey eight” grew out of recordings of coyotes, barred owls and whip-poor-wills. She described trying to imagine herself as another voice in the soundscape, responding to and communicating with the animals’ calls. The five-track list published with the announcement includes the single as track two, between “november seven echo one” and “november four echo one.”
The remaining titles listed are “sierra six whiskey four” and “november five echo three.” Tritium Forests is scheduled for Feb. 26 through Thrill Jockey, which the report says is offering pre-orders. The source gives no year for that date, so the timing should be read as the date stated in the announcement rather than assigned to a particular year.
Werner’s Ecology Enters the Music
The announcement brings Werner’s environmental and musical interests together in a solo release. Her account of making “sierra one whiskey eight” describes an approach based on listening and imagined exchange with wildlife, rather than treating the animal recordings only as background material. That makes the track a direct example of the album’s reported overlap between ecology and sound art.
For listeners who know Werner through her group work, the album offers a separate way to hear her practice under her own name. The report does not describe how the solo record differs sonically from Magic Tuber Stringband, Dowsers or Weirs, so the extent of that difference remains unknown. The single and track list provide the first concrete indication of the project’s scope.
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From Group Projects to a Solo Record
Werner has been involved in several experimental folk projects, including Magic Tuber Stringband, Dowsers and Weirs. Stereogum’s report placed her among artists contributing to experimental folk music from the American South, but the concrete news is the new solo album rather than a broader scene assessment.
The report presents Tritium Forests as a continuation of Werner’s overlap between music and ecology. Its release on Thrill Jockey and the wildlife-inspired lead single establish the project’s label, schedule and starting point. No earlier solo releases, album recording dates or other collaborators are identified in the supplied material.
““I tried to imagine myself as another voice in the soundscape, responding to and communicating with the calls.””
— Courtney Werner
Release Details Still Unspecified
The supplied report states that Tritium Forests is due Feb. 26 but does not specify the year. It also does not give a release time, album format details, recording credits, collaborators, or further information about how Werner’s ecological work shaped the other four tracks. Those details are not established by the announcement material provided here.
The single is identified as being inspired by wildlife recordings, but the source does not specify where or when those recordings were made, or whether the animals’ calls appear unaltered in the finished track. Werner’s description explains her artistic intent; it does not resolve those production questions.
Album Release Follows Lead Single
The next confirmed milestone is the album’s stated Feb. 26 release on Thrill Jockey. The source says pre-orders are available and identifies “sierra one whiskey eight” as the lead single. It does not announce additional singles, videos, live dates or other promotional events.
Further information about the album’s production, its year-specific release schedule and Werner’s plans may come from the label or artist. Until then, the announced five-track list and the wildlife-inspired single are the available details about Tritium Forests.
Key Questions
What is Courtney Werner’s debut solo album called?
It is called Tritium Forests, according to the album announcement reported by Stereogum.
When and where is Tritium Forests due out?
The report gives a Feb. 26 release date through Thrill Jockey but does not specify the year.
What is the album’s lead single?
The lead single is “sierra one whiskey eight.” Werner said it was inspired by recordings of coyotes, barred owls and whip-poor-wills.
Which groups is Werner associated with?
The source identifies Werner as a member of or contributor to Magic Tuber Stringband, Dowsers and Weirs.
What is not yet known about the album?
The supplied report does not specify the release year, recording credits, collaborators, formats or details about how the other tracks relate to Werner’s ecological work.
Source: stereogum.com
