Dan Wilson Releases New EP
His First Collection of Solo Material since 2017’s Re-Covered
Photo / Credit: Shervin Lainez
The GRAMMY-winning songwriter Dan Wilson released his new EP Dancing On The Moon. The six song EP is his first collection of solo material since his 2017 album Re-Covered and follows his band Semisonic’s first release of new music in nearly 20 years You’re Not Alone that was released in 2020. Last month, Wilson released the official music video for the title track.
“I wrote lots of songs during the lockdown, and I made a lot of tracks. Mostly I didn’t concern myself with larger themes or larger bodies of work. I just followed the songs as much as I could. I went pretty deep with a few artist friends of mine and made a lot of tracks with them, for them. And I did the same for myself, just making lots of music and seeing what happened. It was a comfort to me to be experimental, to try stuff, make crazy sounds on my guitar pedals, create beauty,” explains Wilson.
“For a while, it seemed like the record was going to be kind of optimistic and encouraging - but ‘Red Light’ and ‘On the Floor’ muscled out some of the more chipper tunes, and here we are, levitating in a world of sci fi soundscapes, warped violins, and melancholic hopefulness. A decent read on my current state of mind, and so a good place to land.”
The Dancing On The Moon EP finds Wilson exploring a more pop-centric and experimental sonic palette than his previous solo material, which for the last four years has consisted of a string of nearly 20 singles in lieu of a proper album or EP collection. Dancing On The Moon features four new recordings along with the previously released “Under The Circumstances” and “Red Light,” which was co-written with Jenny Owen Youngs and Ethan Gruska.
Dancing On The Moon announced with a cover of Perfume Genius’ “On The Floor,” which was praised by Cool Hunting, Stereogum and Under The Radar.
In the midst of writing and releasing new solo material and continuing to work with his band Semisonic, Wilson remains one of the most in-demand songwriters working today. In the past year alone, Wilson teamed up with Mitski for her first released co-write, “The Only Heartbreaker,” worked with Taylor Swift on re-producing his co-writes on Red (Taylor’s Version), and collaborated with with Leon Bridges, Tom Morello, Joy Oladokun, Claud, Cuco and many more.
In 2020, Wilson released his Words + Music in 6 Seconds deck that spawned from his popular Words + Music in 6 Seconds instagram series. The 75-card deck offers brief and inspiring pieces of advice and covers everything from inspiration and creativity to working relationships and mental health.
Dancing On The Moon tracklist:
1) Island
2) On The Floor
4) Red Light
5) Can’t Think Straight
About Dan Wilson:
Dan Wilson is a Minneapolis-born, Los Angeles based musician, singer, songwriter, producer, and visual artist. Wilson took home an Album of the Year GRAMMY for Adele’s 21, which featured three of his co-writes (including "Someone Like You"), landed a Song of the Year Grammy for The Chicks' "Not Ready To Make Nice," and was nominated for Best Rock Song for his song “Closing Time” he wrote for his band Semisonic. Wilson, who is know as a “songwriters songwriter,” has written with an eclectic range of collaborators including living legends Carole King and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, country artists Chris Stapleton and Tenille Townes, rising pop stars Noah Cyrus and Alec Benjamin, indie rockers My Morning Jacket and Phantogram, and many more. In 2020, Wilson reunited his band Semisonic for the release of the EP You’re Not Alone, their first release of new music in 20 years, and released his Words + Music in 6 Seconds card deck. This September, Wilson will release Dancing On The Moon, his first collection of new solo material since 2017 that follows a string of nearly 20 solo singles he’s released over the last four years.
Follow Dan Wilson:
EP Artwork / Illustrated by Dan Wilson
Missing Piece Group
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