Beck reunites with longtime producer Nigel Godrich on “Ride Lonesome,” his first new, original music in several years and a clear nod to the acoustic melancholy of albums such as 2002’s Grammy-nominated Sea Change. The song was produced by Beck, with Godrich handling mixing duties.
And although additional details are scant, “Ride Lonesome” is said to be “the first indication of a different yet familiar direction for Beck in the year ahead” and features multiple unnamed musicians who played on projects such as Sea Change and 2015’s Album of the Year Grammy-winning Morning Phase.
“She is gone / you can’t put your arms ’round a memory,” Beck laments atop a maudlin melody tinged with pedal steel guitar, “but you’ve got to ride lonesome / you’ve got to try to find your home.”
The artist hasn’t released an album since 2019’s Hyperspace, which only hit No. 40 on the Billboard 200. In the years since, he’s popped up on tracks with Gorillaz, the Chemical Brothers, Phoenix, the Black Keys and Orville Peck while touring regularly.
For now, the only dates on his 2026 calendar are five shows in Australia in May, two of which will find him backed by an orchestra, and a one-off Oct. 31 show at the Truth in Nashville.
