Watch Damien Jurado Perform Songs From His New Album in the Paste Studio

Damien Jurado released his 14th album and first for Mama Bird Recording Co. earlier this month, In the Shape of a Storm. To coincide with the release, Jurado popped into the Paste Studio to perform three tracks from his new LP—”South,” “Newspaper Gown” and “Where You Want Me To Be.”

Jurado described his first single, “South” as “a collage of sorts, or collection of snapshots, that center around two characters. One could even presume me, or me as an alternate self. Dark, isolated and slightly menacing in tone for a waltz number.”

Following last year’s The Horizon Just Laughed, Jurado recorded these 10 new songs over the course of an afternoon in California, and this LP is his sparsest to date—featuring just Jurado’s voice, acoustic guitar and Josh Gordon’s occasional high-strung guitar tuned Nashville style. Speaking of his stripped-down approach, Jurado says, “It just felt like it was time. The idea of an unadorned album became its own medium in his mind, like a painter who sets down his brushes and instead opts for charcoal pencils instead.”

The recording took place only a few months before the passing of Jurado’s longtime collaborator and close friend Richard Swift. “His absence is very much felt on this record,” Jurado said.

Watch Damien Jurado’s full Paste Studio session below, and read Paste’s review of In the Shape of a Storm here.