Announcing THE ASCENSION, the new studio album by Sufjan Stevens
available on September 25th.
First single “America” available July 3 @ 9AM EDT.
1. Make Me An Offer I Cannot Refuse (5:19)
2. Run Away With Me (4:07)
3. Video Game (4:16)
4. Lamentations (3:42)
5. Tell Me You Love Me (4:22)
6. Die Happy (5:47)
7. Ativan (6:32)
8. Ursa Major (3:43)
9. Landslide (5:04)
10. Gilgamesh (3:50)
11. Death Star (4:04)
12. Goodbye To All That (3:48)
13. Sugar (7:37)
14. The Ascension (5:56)
15. America (12:30)
The Ascension will be available on streaming, digital, CD, cassette, 2xLP black vinyl, and first-pressing 2xLP clear vinyl with tip-on gatefold. CD and vinyl include a 16-page booklet of original drawings by Sufjan
cannot wait <3 <3 <3
01 Make Me An Offer I Cannot Refuse
02 Run Away With Me
03 Video Game
04 Lamentations
05 Tell Me You Love Me
06 Die Happy
07 Ativan
08 Ursa Major
09 Landslide
10 Gilgamesh
11 Death Star
12 Goodbye To All That
13 Sugar
14 The Ascension
15 America
https://asthmatickitty.com/announcing-the-ascension-a-new-studio-album-by-sufjan-stevens-available-september-25/
I am dead.
America Youtube link — premieres on Friday.
https://sufjanstevens.ochre.store/release/195767-sufjan-stevens-the-ascension?format=573923
This amount of music this year? Incredible. I know it has been years since Carrie & Lowell, but for some reason I still didn't expect another record from Sufjan for a while — instantly my most anticipated record of 2020.
The artwork + the length of 'America' is giving me a false hope of him creating something as fantastic as 'Impossible Soul' — perhaps my favourite Sufjan song.
Just came here to post this!
I am also dead and wasn't expecting an album so soon.
Can't wait. The artwork and packaging are incredible. That photo of him on a swing
Impossible Soul is also one of my favourites, would love something like that for America.
Never really got into him, but I'll give it a go
really curious, from the titles I cannot call it if it's gonna be a folk album or a more electronic album like Age of Adz
Illinoise is one of the best albums in the history of music, songs like Chicago, Casimir Pulaski Day or John Wayne Gacy Jr are classics. I recently learnt to play John Wayne Gary Jr on guitar, but still struggling to remember the words
I’m dead [3]
Just got this in my email and rushed over here to comment.
Sooooo excited. Doesn’t help that the cover instantly reminds me so much of The Age of Adz and we all know how fantastic that record was.
Okay so I guess I will have to listen to that now 😭
okay I completely forgot how STUNNING that Vesuvius - Impossible Soul closing section is.
He's not fucking around indeed
Very much excited at the prospect of his first “pop” album, him describing his influences for this record as Janet Jackson and Ariana Grande has got me cautiously optimistic.
2 hours until the premiere <3
he really said he's been influenced by Janet and Ariana? who else?
can it also be Rosalía as well plz? Come on Spanish language Sufjan
oh my this is amazing, bit electronic, but I'd say zero pop, not very Ariana-influenced lol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK9EImqaKvI
can this be #1 for 10 weeks instead that useless Derulo song
Dead.
Incredible. Haunting. Beautiful. Everything I love in a Sufjan song 😭
I could actually see this fitting on The Age of Adz really well, will be interesting to see what the rest of the album’s like.
Incredible. I never doubted him.
America - EP is being released on July 10th and it will have a non-album song 'My Rajneesh'. 12-inch released July 31st. EXCITED x100
I haven't listened to it yet but I will be soon! God this man never gives up releasing music
Why would he give up?
Oh this is all kinds of wonderful. <3
why he would stop?
he's actually not very prolific anymore, 1 album every 5 years these days
Google what he's released in the past 5 years before making such idiotic statements lmao
I mean proper solo studio albums, his last one was Carrie & Lowell in 2015 and before that it was Age of Adz in 2010
no need to call names :/
since 2017 alone:
- Mystery of Love
- The Greatest Gift
- Lonely Man of Winter
- Love Yourself
- Planetarium
- The Decalogue
- Aporia
Just because he's not doing a conventional solo LP release every couple of years doesn't mean he's not PROLIFIC. And I would say that about any other artist as well. Very flawed destructive logic that COMPLETELY devaluates a musician's work.
Why does everyone have to conform to society's subjective and (sometimes) flawed perception of what reality should be?! Discrediting the entire existence just because it's a 1 solo LP in 5 years kinda gig. Music is art and it cannot be rushed. Same could be said about SO many other musicians who barely release anything for years. I'd rather wait 10 years and get something absolutely remarkable than have him shit out a mediocre album every year. This mainstream pop culture is way too toxic in that regard.
Sorry but the level of ignorance is triggering me way too much.
"My Rajneesh" is out at midnight!
“My Rajneesh” is miles above “America” (which is also great), absolutely astonishing track.
let's not go there hun xo
it's amazing but I'd rank America above it clearly
Oh my god My Rajneesh 😍
It’s SO Age of Adz, love it. And sampling Vesuvius 😭😭😭 amazing.
Love that this is just a b side, can’t wait to hear more from the album.
'America' and 'My Rajneesh' are stunning, it's good to hear more stuff from Sufjan, I haven't for a little while but I saw a bit of noise about these tracks and they're worth the hype <3
"Video Game" is out tomorrow!
Can’t wait to hear that, was hoping we’d get something soon.
This is my most anticipated album for such a long time 😭
I liked America but haven't returned much to the song
High hopes as per usual with Sufjan!!
An actual Sufjam!
sufJAM
Love this. And definitely more what I was expecting when he described it as his first pop album.
America, My Rajneesh and this are all great, he never disappoints.
This is incredible.
Not that I expected anything less than that who am I kidding :')
Well isn’t this just amazing. What I hoped for and more beyond.
3/3 wonderful tracks from this era so far. Not quite up to the heights of “My Rajneesh” though that is a career defining track <3
Taylor goes folk and Sufjan goes pop!!
"Sugar" is the next track to be released from the album and it will be out next Tuesday. This information was confirmed by his label on reddit.
The physical release of The Ascension will be delayed to October 2 due to production and logistical delays as a result of the pandemic. It will still be available to stream and download September 25.
'Sugar' is out on Tuesday!
"Sugar" is available now.
I'm not a massive fan of the new one, but I'm still looking forward to the album
love it, especially the Don't make me wait part <3
and the video is <3
Tomorrow 😭
Feels like Christmas Eve
I KNOW 😭
She's here!
Happy Sufjan day everyone
I want to go to bed so that I can spend the first 80 of my waking minutes tomorrow enjoying this masterpiece for the first time. Fully expecting this to declare monopoly on my ears for the next couple of weeks at least. And I'm here for it 100%.
(Post reserved for a 'this is better than sex' once I've listened to this tomorrow)
can't wait to listen
not getting the best reviews though :/ a 7 from Pitchfork
Yeah, disappointing review from pitchfork but everything else I’ve seen has been great. Not quite up to the usual Sufjan standards but that was a big ask anyway!
Just had my first full listen through and I’m in love.
It’s exactly the type of album I wanted from him. It’s dense and a lot to take in but I wouldn’t expect or want anything less.
What an opener Make Me an Offer I Cannot Refuse is
7 is not that bad. Although compared to what he tends to get usually, it is indeed pretty low. P4k have been losing touch for a while anyway so who cares.
I'm going to need a few more listens of this. It felt a little samey at times when I listened to it this morning, I think I was expecting something a little more varied... still I expect I'll end up loving it like I usually do!
I didn't find the album samey at all. It has this Age of Adz flare and is indeed a lot to take in on one listen. As soon as something appears monotonous, it just hits me in the second half. Example: Die Happy.
First listen album track highlights: Lamentations, Die Happy, Ursa Major, Make Me An Offer I Cannot Refuse.
Looks he is pushing Run Away With Me, at least that's what I'm seeing in the new music playlists on Spotify over here now.
This is sounding great today so I retract my comment from yesterday! It's an album you need to concentrate on as there's a lot of details to pay attention to and I need to pay more attention to the lyrics, at the moment the vocals are just another instrument in the layers for me - Ativan has really hit me today though and I found it kinda filler yesterday for some reason! Other initial favourites are Lamentations, The Ascension and Make Me An Offer I Cannot Refuse. Both of the singles also hit me harder than they have done before also.
Seems like the sort of album that needs a lot of effort from the listener
and probably will click with you after you listen a 100 times
in 2026 or something
At this rate my 100th listen through will be this week anyway :')
Can't stop listening to it.
Make Me An Offer I Cannot Refuse, Goodbye To All That and The Ascension are up there with my favourites of his already.
And that transition from Death Star to Goodbye
Yes! Goodbye To All That hit me out of the blue yesterday in the gym. Not a single dud on the 15-track 80-minute record 😭
‘Tell Me You Love Me’ is the Sufjan power ballad I didn’t know I needed.
I like to think that one's about me.
My vinyl has just arrived and it's s t u n n i n g.
thought the vinyl was gonna be released on Friday?
I'm guessing that's its official release date – this was from a pre-order though.
No idea what that'll mean for chart sales though, I'm sure he'll be nowhere without the physical sales added.
Yeah he was already like 71st in yesterday's updates.
STREAM THIS ALBUM OF THE YEAR PEOPLE!
I'm surprised that it's doing so poorly - his last album made #4 (which I was surprised about tbh) so hopefully it will climb significantly when people get the physical copies.
Well I imagine the last one was also massively boosted by physical sales
The title track and America closing the album is so powerful. I cannot get enough.
The physical sales should be the vast majority of his numbers so assuming they count to next week's chart he'll show up much higher next week.
I've been a fan of all 3 of the singles so I will have a listen to this, first Sufjan album I will have heard in full!
Really? You've missed some of the best albums in the history of music
Personally my #1 is Illinoise, a masterpiece
If you liked the singles (and perhaps Impossible Soul ) then you will definitely like The Age of Adz. Carrie & Lowell is stripped back and also incredible. Is there even a 'bad' Sufjan album? (The answer is 'no' btw)
guess the tracks being so long doesn't help with streaming figures
I’m not even sure which of his albums is my favourite. The last three (four now) have all been incredible.
I think Carrie & Lowell might just edge it at the moment, but The Age of Adz, Illinoise and now this are up there.
Also adore Seven Swans but I don’t think it’s quite in the same league as those four.
Impossible Soul really is the ultimate song though
Illinois is my favourite still, I can still recall just how floored I was when I first heard it. The progression in musicality from his earlier albums was just such a leap - I still think it's probably the most interesting and varied album I've ever heard, so many wow moments.
I'm looking forward to listening to his *massive* Christmas compilations this year!
I must admit that I'm not quite as intimately familiar with his earlier work before Illinois but I should have another spin or 5 definitely while I'm in the Sufjan mood 24/7. The Age of Adz (All Delighted People EP to be exact) made me a stan but John Wayne Gacy Jr and Chicago are two of my favourite songs of his still. Truth be told though, Impossible Soul is indeed the masterpiece the world doesn't deserve. Fourth of July still makes me so emotional and I would like to put it out there as one of my ultimate favourites.
In other words, I have no idea how to rank his last 3 albums The Ascension not included because they are all so different.
That guitar (?) solo in the middle of Landslide just took my wig, threw it on the ground and stepped on it repeatedly. I don't remember that solo being there and it's my 50th listen. 😭
Illinois has the holy trinity of John Wayne Macy Jr-Chicago-Casimir Pulaski Day, that's impossible to beat
I also really like Seven Swans too, it's all banjo songs, with To be Alone with You, being one of his best songs ever.
I actually also like a lot the All Delighted People EP, but mostly cos of The Owl and the Tanager
The only albums I don't like are his Xmas albums with 158 songs each
My vinyl arrived today and it really is beautiful. The Jonsi vinyl also arrived and that’s pretty stunning too
late (in completing the album, I started when it released but got sidetracked x) but I love this album, particularly the beginning and end of it is super strong
I haven't heard all of his albums but he hasn't captured my attention this much (started with that release of America, what a track) since I was first made aware of Illinois.
I'm finally listening to this now and it was worth it to hear 'Make Me An Offer I Cannot Refuse' even if I don't like any of the other album tracks. What a song.
(I'll post again in about an hour when I've heard the rest xox)
My other highlights from this (alongside all of the singles) are 'Ativan', 'Run Away With Me' and 'Tell Me You Love Me' - the production is excellent on basically every song though <3 (and that transition from 'Death Star' to 'Goodbye To All That' was so smooth, almost didn't realise it was moving on to a different song! not me thinking this was an original observation and reading back through the thread to see Cremey already said that exact thing). Think this album narrowly edges out Fleet Foxes as the best release from last week for me.
'Make Me An Offer I Cannot Refuse' tho still. Instantly my fave song I have ever heard from him.
Absolutely adore this album, though I've only listened to the odd (mainly recent) Sufan single before this - and he has some quite eclectic sounds should I start from his first album?
If you want to see his journey then yes start at the beginning... just don't give up before Illinois!
I don't rate much the first couple albums, A Sun Came and that electronic one, the name escapes me now...
but Michigan and Seven Swans are both great, I love the sound of banjo, so anything with banjo is great imo... I still remember the first time I heard that song about the Widows and the Fatherless, that was his first songs that really made me a fan...
Seven Seas is his most folkish probably but lots of nice sweet songs...
this is one of his best youtube videos ever:
^^
That's one of my absolute favourites of his
every time I see that clip, I wanna buy a banjo
A f***ing CHRISTMAS Dolly Parton album finished higher than this album. 🤮🤮🤮
and even Lana's poems :/
can't believe he only sold 2K
Those sales are so low.
Wasn’t surprised at it not charting last week but I thought it’d do much better this week with physicals included.
Strange how Carrie & Lowell did so much better, I would’ve thought this would be the one to do well, being his modest major release after Mystery of Love etc.
oh my just went and checked and Carrie & Lowell did 11K
hope do you go from 11K to 2K? :/
maybe fans prefer folk-Siufjan?
Bumping just because.
Also, Ativan! <3
The music video of "Tell Me You Love Me" was unveiled today, which was shot by Luca Guadagnino.
idk about y'all but I thumbsup'd the video before it even started playing
This album is still growing on me, I'm starting to think it could be potentially his best? Or at least second to Illinois
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