Iron & Wine’s Weed Garden arrives as a six-song collection of all new material, whose roots were planted during the making of last years Grammy-nominated, Beast Epic.  The release is being made available worldwide from Sub Pop and joins the ranks of his previous EP’s -The Sea and Rhythm, Woman King and In the Reins which contains some of Iron & Wine’s most beloved material.
 

[Album Art Paintings by Sam Beam]

Recorded earlier this year at The Loft in Chicago, Weed Garden features the single “What Hurts Worse” and the fan favorite, “Waves of Galveston,” which first appeared as part of The Onion’s AV Club “State Songs” and is finally making its official release. Galveston is just a short trip from Austin where Sam Beam lived for a number years, and its coastal beauty is brought to life in this late summer breezy acoustic number that harkens back to some of Iron & Wine’s earliest material.  
 
Beam recently stated that “‘Waves of Galveston” was one of those songs that had a more reflective feel and I knew I wanted to do it as an acoustic thing.  I guess it pointed me in the direction of where the rest of Beast Epic went.” He also touched on the EP format and noted that he “really like(s) short records. The more concise the better. Anytime you have fewer things to absorb you observe and listen to it differently. It’s a concentrated statement”. 
 
The Associated Press had this say of Weed Garden, “Beam’s surprise gift is the exquisite “Waves of Galveston,” a fan favorite getting its first official release. Its very 70’s-sounding refrain caresses the eardrums and Nick Drake may have sounded like this if singing about Texas….There are plenty of references to nature — the sea, butterflies, serpents, rain, clouds, flowers, winds and waves — but it’s all related to the human experience and the final three songs sustain the theme. Especially affecting are the gorgeous “Autumn Town Leaves” and the increasingly intense and desperate closer “Talking to Fog.” Weed Garden is both a wonderful bonus in relation to Beast Epicand an enchanting collection that deserves to be valued for its own plentiful merits.” 
 
And NPR Music offers this, “Not only is Weed Garden a consistently powerful extension of Beast Epic, but it also marks the first studio release of one of Beam’s live staples: “Waves of Galveston.” That outtake has been cropping up in performances…but it benefits enormously from a new full-band arrangement that’s crisp and lovely, spare but sweet.”

 
Weed Garden is available on CD/LP/DL/CS through Sub Pop over here. LP purchases through megamart.subpop.com and select independent retailers will receive the limited Loser edition on Amber colored vinyl (while supplies last).

Iron & Wine Tour Dates + Ticket Links

Iron & Wine’s previously announced fall tour schedule in support of Weed Garden and Beast Epic resumes on September 21st in Kansas City, MO at Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland and runs through November 17th in Memphis, TX at the Orpheum Theatre.  Support for the fall tour dates will come from Erin Rae, Carl Broemel, and Ohmme. 
 
Sep. 21 - Kansas City, MO - Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland*
Sep. 22 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre*
Sep. 23 - Salt Lake City, UT - Capitol Theatre*
Sep. 24 - Boise, ID - Revolution Center*
Sep. 26 - Eureka, CA - Arkley Center for the Performing Arts*
Sep. 27 - Sacramento, CA - Crest Theatre*
Sep. 28 - Anaheim, CA - House of Blues*
Sep. 29 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre*
Sep. 30 - Sante Fe, NM - Lensic Performing Arts Center*
Oct. 2 - Tulsa, OK - Cain’s Ballroom*
Oct. 3 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant^
Oct. 4 - Milwaukee, WI - The Pabst Theater*
Oct. 5 - Bloomington, IL - Castle Theatre*
Oct. 6 - Columbus, OH - Southern Theatre*
Nov. 2 - Ann Arbor, MI - Michigan Theater**
Nov. 3 - Toronto, ON - Queen Elizabeth Theatre**
Nov. 4 - Montreal, QC - Corona Theatre**
Nov. 6 - Portland, ME - State Theatre**
Nov. 7 - Huntington, NY - The Paramount**
Nov. 8 - Glenside, PA - Keswick Theatre**
Nov. 9 - Norfolk, VA - NorVa**
Nov. 10 - Raleigh, NC - Meymandi Concert Hall**
Nov. 12 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium**
Nov. 14 - Augusta, GA - Miller Theater**
Nov. 15 - Tampa, FL - Tampa Theatre**
Nov. 16 - Atlanta, GA - Buckhead Theatre**
Nov. 17 - Memphis, TN - Orpheum Theatre**
*w/ Erin Rae
** w/ Ohmme
^ w/ Carl Broemel

Beast Epic, the deeply personal sixth proper full-length album from Iron & Wine, received universal praise upon its release in the fall of 2017. Rolling Stone said it was “Beam’s most dynamic and convincing record in years”, while Pitchfork noted that it was reminiscent of “the warm acoustic instrumentation of his early work”.  The AV Club perhaps summed it up best with its A grade when they wrote “Beam has written his most affecting, impressive set of songs in a long time—maybe ever…scaling back the lavish orchestration while maintaining a sense of brightness and verve.”