Sufjan Stevens shared new single “Lamentation II” Monday, ahead of Lamentations coming to YouTube this Thursday, April 15, at noon EST. Lamentations is the second volume of a five-volume work titled Convocations, which will be out in full on May 6.
This is the second week of five that Stevens will be releasing what is essentially a full album, starting with last week’s Meditations. Each volume serves as a representation of a different stage of grieving, and was crafted following the death of Stevens’ father just two days after the release of his 2020 creation The Ascension. On “Lamentation II,” like the rest of his works on Convocations, Stevens pushes lyrics aside in favor of ambient, electronic instrumentals. The prickling, dreamy synths are cut with more jarring, clashing notes before slowly fading away.
Watch the visualizer for “Lamentation II,” clipped from artist Melissa Fuentes’ forthcoming long-form video for the project, below. You can pre-save the entire 49-song album here.
