Particle Kid, the musical identity of Micah Nelson, and legendary U2 producer and artist Daniel Lanois have joined forces for their first full-length collaboration, The Ocean Floor, due Feb. 26 via Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard’s Loosegroove Records. The 11-song album moves between ambient psychedelia, future folk and electrifying rock, with the pair exploring themes of freedom, transcendence and the search for a more humane world through a sound built from old-school instrumentation and layers of dubbed-out electronics.
The project’s lead single is “Even the Birds,” which is out today (Nov. 4) in tandem with a hallucinatory video directed by Nelson, who at 36 is Willie Nelson’s youngest son. Built around intertwined Moog, synthesizers and drum machines, the track gathers momentum toward a climactic crescendo. Nelson traces its origins to a day off while Particle Kid was touring with the Flaming Lips in 2023, when a bird’s brief flight beneath a street bridge inspired the song’s central image. “It’s a ‘grass is always greener’ sort of song — wherever you go, there you are,” he says. “Sometimes the best move is to stay put even if you have the chance to fly away.”
Nelson describes The Ocean Floor as a response to a world increasingly shaped by technology, privatization and corporate interests, imagining instead an escape toward an oceanic consciousness and the possibility of a healthier future. “The ocean floor is the crux from which all these songs poured out,” he says. “It’s pretty much the last true mysterious frontier on this planet.” He adds that the pair wanted to “create a sense of hope amidst the sorrow in these songs,” with the ocean floor becoming “the depths of the heart from which all human creativity emerges.”
The album took shape over 10 days at Lanois’ Bella Vista studio in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake neighborhood, where the collaborators combined their original recordings with performances by Particle Kid bassist Aroyn Day and Lanois’ longtime percussionist Kyle Crane. Longtime Lanois cohort Daryl Johnson, engineer Gerardo Ordonez and co-producer Wayne Lorenz also contributed.
“I believe we got to a special place with this record,” says Lanois, who turned 75 in September. “I hope that people find something in the message of this work. I think that the record stands out simply for its values. Hopefully we can touch a few hearts [and] help inspire a world that has cleaner water, more kindness and more consideration.”
“My jaw hit the floor hearing what Micah and Daniel cooked up on this album,” Gossard tells SPIN. “The gravity of their collaboration is breathtaking and immediate . Micah has become a singer / lyricist of the highest order and Daniel Lanois’ masterful playing and production is undiminished since making The Joshua Tree and Achtung Baby. Holy smokes!!”
In an interesting twist, The Ocean Floor will not be available on Spotify or Amazon Music. In a statement accompanying the announcement, Nelson criticized Spotify’s business practices and investments, and said he intends to release future Particle Kid music exclusively through the Flow, a forthcoming creator-owned platform of which he is a founding board member. However, The Ocean Floor will be available on Bandcamp and other digital services, as well as on vinyl and CD.
Nelson and Lanois have announced seven 2027 performances so far, beginning Feb. 27 at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Forever cemetery, with additional dates expected shortly.
Here are Particle Kid and Daniel Lanois’ tour dates:
2/27 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Forever
2/28 – Joshua Tree, CA – Joshua Tree Retreat Center
3/10 – Portland, OR – Portland Jazz Festival
3/11 – Seattle, WA – The Triple Door
3/12 – Seattle, WA – Easy Street Records (in-store set and signing)
3/20 – Dallas, TX – Kessler Theater
3/21 – Tulsa, OK – Studio Church
