In Heaven is a hopeful reflection on love, loss, and enlightenment. In his eighth studio album as Strand of Oaks and first since moving to Austin, TX, Tim Showalter takes his own grief and newly found sobriety and manifests songs that achieve a universality rooted not only in loss, but also joy, celebration, and newfound strength.
Of the album, Showalter shares, “In Heaven was created with so much love and my greatest hope is that it connects with people and provides a momentary space for reflection, joy, catharsis and whatever else someone might be looking for in their life. Music is magic and I feel like the luckiest person in the world that I’m allowed to share it.”
In Heaven was recorded in October 2020 with Kevin Ratterman at Invisible Creature in Los Angeles. In addition to Showalter on guitars and vocals and Ratterman on drums, the album features Carl Broemel (My Morning Jacket) on guitars, Bo Koster (My Morning Jacket, Roger Waters) on keyboards, Cedric LeMoyne (Alanis Morrissette, Remy Zero) on bass and Scott Moore on violin with special guest James Iha (The Smashing Pumpkins) on vocals and guitar on “Easter.”
In celebration of the album Strand of Oaks will embark on an extensive nationwide fall tour including stops in Boston, Washington, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Detroit, Indianapolis, Denver, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, Dallas, Austin, Atlanta, Nashville and more. See below for full tour itinerary—venue and ticket information will be announced soon.
In Heaven is the follow up to 2019’s Eraserland, which was named one of the top albums of the year by NPR Music, who proclaimed, “brims with moments that will stop you in your tracks…The result is a cosmic tour-de-force,” while Pitchfork declared, “soars in both its booming and hushed moments, a testament to the skills of this lockstep outfit. These seasoned players navigate Showalter’s emotional cosmos with equal parts professionalism and empathy.” Since his debut in 2009, Showalter—performing as Strand of Oaks—has toured relentlessly with sold-out shows across the country including concerts with Jason Isbell and Iron and Wine and appearances on “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” NPR Music’s “Tiny Desk Concert” and many more.
