The Antlers’ “Hospice” is one of the greatest introspective rock records of all time. Peter Silberman’s achingly brittle heartbreak from inaudible whispers to thunderous falsettos is one of the most devastating listens. Falling ill himself and requiring surgery to remove his vocal cords, Silberman had to retrain himself to sing – their first album in seven years is one we never thought we’d be able to hear, but we’ve never needed it more.
Perhaps what distinguishes ‘Green to Gold’ from the rest of The Antlers’ canon is its, well, sunniness. Conceived and written almost entirely in the morning hours, ‘Green to Gold’ is the band’s first new music in nearly seven years, and easily their most luminous to date.
“I think this is the first album I’ve made that has no eeriness in it,” Silberman asserts. “I set out to make Sunday morning music.” Unlike other Antlers albums, Silberman didn’t feel compelled to turn a human experience into a circuitous mythology. He chose a more direct approach: documenting two years in his life, without overthinking or obscuring what the songs were about. “Most of the songs on ‘Green to Gold’ are culled from conversations with my friends and my partner. It’s less ambiguous about who’s speaking and who’s listening,” says Silberman resolutely.
Here’s what they say about it: “Hello again, friends.
At long last, we’re proud to announce our new album, ‘Green to Gold’ will be released on March 26th via Anti / Transgressive Records! You can pre-order the new album via Bandcamp.
And today, we’ve got a new song to share with you. This one’s called “Solstice”.
“Solstice” is a flashback to the infinite days of peak childhood summer, innocent barefoot hikes, staying outside all afternoon and late into the evening, well past it being too dark to see. But it’s remembered from the vantage of a present day that feels unbearably long rather than joyously endless. It’s an invocation of those simpler times, an attempt to conjure the lightness of youth, before life got so damn complicated.
Eager to share the rest of ‘Green to Gold’ with you this spring. Thank you for listening.
“I think the shift in tone is the result of getting older,” Silberman added. “It doesn’t make sense for me to try to tap into the same energy that I did ten or fifteen years ago, because I continue to grow as a person, as I’m sure our audience does too. Green to Gold is about this idea of gradual change,” he sums up. “People changing over time, struggling to accept change in those they love, and struggling to change themselves. And yet despite all our difficulty with this, nature somehow makes it look easy.”
Written by Peter Silberman & Michael Lerner Produced and Engineered by Peter Silberman
Vocals, guitar, bass, pedal steel, piano, and organ by Peter Silberman
Drums and percussion by Michael Lerner
Bass clarinet on “Wheels Roll Home” by Jon Natchez
Violin and viola on “Solstice” by Will Harvey
Cello on “Stubborn Man” by Brent Arnold
Banjo on “Just One Sec” and “Volunteer” by David Moore
Slide Guitar on “Just One Sec” by Dave Harrington
Baritone saxophone, flute, clarinet, and french horn on “It Is What It Is” by Kelly Pratt
Guitar on “Green to Gold” by Tim Mislock
“Just One Sec” by The Antlers from the album ‘Green To Gold’, available March 26th
The Fat Angel Sings 