Beck Returns to ‘Sea Change’ Vibe for February LP ‘Morning Phase’

After nearly five and a half years, Beck is set to return with his 12th studio album, Morning Phase. The new collection is due out in February on his new label, Capitol Records. It’s his first album since 2008’s Modern Guilt and is said to be a return to his Sea Change days, where he explored dissolving love through a collection of heartwrenching, slow acoustic numbers. Many of the same musicians that played on that album appear on Morning Phase, including longtime collaborator Smokey Hormel.

See Where Beck’s ‘Sea Change’ Ranks on Our 100 Best Albums of the 2000s

As was previously teased, Beck’s new album has been in the works for some time; he slowly came out of hiding over the last year, starting with 2012’s Song Reader, an “album” of sheet music he released with McSweeney’s. In February he recreated David Bowie’s “Sound + Vision,” and over the summer played a handful of headlining shows that mostly revisited that acoustic vibe. He also released three folky singles: “Defriended,” “I Won’t Be Long” and “Gimme.” 

Next month, Beck will play three South American shows in Santiago, Chile (November 7th), San Paolo, Brazil (Noveember 9th), and Buenos Aires, Argentina (November 14th).