Sufjan Stevens’ ‘America’ Is A 12 Minute Triumph

It's a timely epic from the songwriter...

Sufjan Stevens has shared his new 12 minute single 'America' in full.

The songwriter will release new album 'The Ascension' on September 25th, a call to build anew and transform the world around us.

In a note, Sufjan Stevens says it is "a call for personal transformation and a refusal to play along with the systems around us."

First single 'America' may feel timely, but it was actually written five years ago, during the sessions for his explicitly autobiographical song cycle 'Carrie + Lowell'.

Spread out across 12 minutes, it's billed as "a protest song against the sickness of American culture in particular," and feels utterly perfect for these times.

Digging out the demo some two years ago, Sufjan was "shocked by its prescience. I could no longer dismiss it as angry and glib. The song was clearly articulating something prophetic and true, even if I hadn’t been able to identify it at the time. That’s when I saw a clear path toward what I had to do next."

'The Ascension' is billed as a computer-built album, with 'America' forming a keystone for the creativity around it, something he calls as "lush, editorial pop album…"

"My objective for this album was simple: Interrogate the world around you. Question anything that doesn’t hold water. Exterminate all bullshit. Be part of the solution or get out of the way. Keep it real. Keep it true. Keep it simple. Keep it moving."

Check out 'America' below.

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