Azniv Korkejian, the Los Angeles-based artist who records as Bedouine, first sprang to international attention when her meticulous, eponymous 2017 debut seemed to open a window in time. With striking, direct vocals and simple guitar accompaniment, Bedouine was immediately dubbed “a modern folk masterpiece” by Fader and Korkejian was praised as a “future legend” by The New York Times. Following the release of her acclaimed sophomore album, Bird Songs Of A Killjoy, in 2019 Korkejian returned to the studio to craft her third record. Waysides will be released via The Orchard on October 15th.  

 

Today’s album news comes with a brand new track. On “The Wave” Bedouine reveals her uncanny ability to explore the surreal poetics of grief. Korkejian says of the song, “I wrote this about the loss of a close friend, specifically the swell of emotion I try to resign myself to when thinking of her premature absence. She was someone who had an uncomplicated relationship with life and living. I often wondered “Why her and not me?” I was trying to practice the things I was learning, to surrender to the fear and the grief...and the fear of grief. I haven’t entirely worked through it. Writing “The Wave” was a reminder to feel my feelings. At a time of such collective loss I imagine there are people out there that could relate. It feels cathartic to share.”

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Produced and recorded on her own and with musician/producer Gus Seyffert (Beck, Michael Kiwanuka, Dr Dog) in Historic Filipinotown, Los Angeles and Yucca Valley, California, Waysides includes appearances from Mike Andrews, who played guitar and mandolin on album standout “This Machine,” Josh Adams on drums, Gabriel Noel on strings for “I Don’t Need The Light” and “The Solitude”, additional instrumentation from Seyffert across the album, and Korkejian on piano, organ, vocals, guitar, and - on “Sonnet 104” - drums. Evoking comparisons to savants like Nick Drake, Vashti Bunyan and Karen Dalton, Bedouine has become synonymous with the best songwriters of the last few decades; an artist revered among her peers whose work is treasured by her fans - and all those who recognize a precious and rare gift when they hear it.