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Songs We Love: Sufjan Stevens, 'Should Have Known Better'

Sufjan Stevens' latest song is a return to his folk roots.
Courtesy of the artist
Sufjan Stevens' latest song is a return to his folk roots.

Sufjan Stevens is offering another peek at his upcoming album, Carrie & Lowell with the song "Should Have Known Better." It's a gorgeous reflection on regrets and the myriad ways the past can haunt and hold us. "I should have known better," Stevens sings. "To see what I could see / My black shroud holding down my feelings / A pillar for my enemies."

Carrie & Lowell is a collection of songs about and inspired by Sufjan Stevens' mother and stepfather. "Should Have Known Better" is the second song he's shared from the record, due out March 31. Last month Stevens released "No Shade In The Shadow Of The Cross."

While Stevens has been busy with numerous other projects and collaborations, Carrie & Lowell is his first official studio album since releasing the mind-bending Age Of Adz in 2010. It's a return to Stevens' more intimate, acoustic style, written and recorded in the spirit of his previous albums Michigan and Illinois.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Robin Hilton is a producer and co-host of the popular NPR Music show All Songs Considered.
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