Cass McCombs – hailed as “one of the greatest lyricists of our time” by The FADER – and his longtime collaborator and Interior Live Oak co-producer Chris Cohen have announced a new collaborative 7”, being released jointly by Hardly Art and Domino Records.

The release features two new tracks: “Steel Reserve” and “Ignis Fatuus, Hinkypunk, Sharkfins and Ambergris.” The songs spotlight the artists’ distinct yet deeply intertwined creative chemistry, forged over nearly two decades of collaboration.

“Chris composed the music and I did the words,” says McCombs. “Our longtime friend and mutual collaborator Trevor Shimizu drew the artwork. Chris has weaved throughout my music over the years — he played guitar on my first LP, A, as well as on ‘County Line', he co-produced Interior Live Oak, and he is a remarkable musician and songwriter. Both songs are somewhat cracked meditations on dignity. ‘Steel Reserve’ explores the bushes, hidden away. Public life has nothing to offer dignity. ‘Ignis Fatuus’ is a pirate’s treasure collected from an Earth stained with blood and madness — stolen from W.B. Yeats.”

Cohen adds, “Cass and I go back to early 2000s Bay Area. I’ve always thought he was an amazing songwriter so I was very happy when he sent me lyrics. I took it as a dare, as the words were tricky and the forms unusual ones for songs, but I followed them exactly as they were. The music is my reaction to the words as I understood them. Also Cass is a killer guitar player so I had him come in and put some classical guitar on top of ‘Steel Reserve’. We both harmonize and trade verses on ‘Ignis Fatuus’ so it is our first proper duet.”