Vered Enlists Walter Martin on a Tribute to Siblings, “It’ll Be”

If you’re the parent of a young child, you probably know Vered. If not, you should. The Brooklyn-based singer and music therapist has a knack for writing songs for every kind of kid, from infants to older sisters, and every kind of childlike parent. On her third album, Songs for Sisters and Brothers, she’s taking inspiration directly from her own family with a collection of songs devoted to the ups and downs of sibling relationships and the parents lost “in the battlefield.”

The playful single “It’ll Be” was inspired by a conversation between Vered’s three kids in which they planned where they would live together as adults and how they would build their house. She’s joined on vocals by ex-Walkmen guitarist Walter Martin, whose own solo albums, including 2014’s We’re All Young Together and last year’s Reminisce Bar & Grill, filter rock and folk music through the prism of childhood wonder and parental discovery. Martin’s deadpan delivery works as a foil to Vered’s warm delivery as they play the roles of brother and sister. “I find myself fascinated by the dynamics between my three kids,” she says. “I watch them through the lens of a mother but also through the lens of an adult sibling and a little sister. My hope is that this album will inspire siblings to stick together, no matter how hard it may be.”

Songs for Sisters and Brothers stretches into folk, jazz, doo-wop and calypso sounds on its 13 songs, offering joy and solace for the entire household. It’s out May 18.