Big Red Machine share new single “Mimi” ft. Ilsey, Doveman, mems Big Thief & Beirut

Karma Oak

Big Red Machine, the collaborative project of Bon Iver's Justin Vernon and The National's Aaron Dessner, release their new album, How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last?, later this month (pre-order on red vinyl), and they've just shared another new single, "Mimi." Like much of the rest of the album, it features some special guests: singer and songwriter Ilsey (aka Ilsey Juber, who's written and co-written songs for Major Lazer, Mark Ronson, Lykke Li, Miley Cyrus, and others), Aaron's brother Bryce Dessner, Big Thief’s James Krivchenia, Doveman (aka Thomas Bartlett), and Beirut’s Benjamin Lanz. Stream it below.

"I named this song Mimi for my youngest daughter," Aaron says. "I was thinking about how grateful I am for my children and how they light up even the darkest days. Justin, Ilsey and I wrote words and melodies to this in isolation and we decided to interweave them, like characters in a book, full of longing and gratitude. Later James Krivchenia came to visit and brought the song further to life with his drums. Musically I feel like maybe we were seeking the open air and road of a Tom Petty song, just accidentally in an odd meter. So grateful to Ilsey for joining this collaboration -- it felt so natural and joyful."

"This song is almost a mirror to the process of how we made it," Ilsey says. "Aaron, Justin and I wrote and recorded all of the parts separately. The lyrics of the chorus reflect a longing for closeness and connection, but that longing is made to feel safe and less pained next to Justin and Aaron’s lyrics which have this strong theme of gratitude. All of this to say, what could have been a lonely chorus was made hopeful, and what could have been a lonely process was made joyful in getting to work with these two wonderful people."

Meanwhile, you can catch Big Red Machine on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on August 10, when they'll perform "Phoenix" with Fleet Foxes’ Robin Pecknold, Anaïs Mitchell, The Westerlies, Scott Devendorf of The National, drummer JT Bates, and keyboardist Nick Lloyd.

Pre-order How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? on red vinyl from the BV store.