Anna Tivel Shares 'Outsiders' B-Side Single 'American Novella'

Portland, Oregon-based artist Anna Tivel has shared a new single called "American Novella" from the same recording sessions as her widely acclaimed 2022 full-length, Outsiders.

Of the track, she offers, "'American Novella' is the story of a neighbor on one side of a fence just getting started, trying to figure it all out, grow a family, and make sense of the long/short/uncertain chaos of time.

Just across the fence, another neighbor navigates the last days of that beautiful struggle, looks at the whole thing laid out behind them, the messy web they built of family, growth, pain, and love."

The new song arrives following Tivel's announcement that she will be supporting Fenne Lily and Christian Lee Hutson next month for an 8-show run that includes stops in San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, Salt Lake City, Denver, and more. See below for full tour details.

Tivel's Outsiders was crafted with the help of producer & multi-instrumentalist Shane Leonard and engineer Brian Joseph (Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens) and released last August by Mama Bird Recording Co. An NPR favorite, the 11-track set was Ann Powers' #1 Album of the Year and landed on NPR's Best Roots Music of 2022 list.

NPR's Bob Boilen included the title track among his Favorite Music of 2022, and single "Black Umbrella" was one of NPR's 100 Best Songs of 2022. Los Angeles NPR-affiliate KCRW named radio single "The Dial" one of their favorite new songs, saying, "Perfectly lo-fi instrumentation, turntable fuzz, and Tivel's confident-cool delivery of positively poetic lyrics make this indie-folk number a stellar summer standout for those who feel at home in analog spaces."

The album received additional "Best of 2022" accolades from Aquarium Drunkard, Brooklyn Vegan, The Boot, Folk Alley, Post-Trash, Folk Radio UK, and more. Upon its initial release, the record was lauded by Bandcamp Daily as one of the best new releases of the month for "pushing [Tivel's] sound beyond the boundaries of folk music by incorporating unconventional percussion, atmospheric production, and gentle ambient touches."

Paste Magazine more recently included it in their Record Time column, saying, "[Outsiders] has already been rightfully praised to high heaven since its initial release last August. But damn if we don't want to add to the chorus after getting a grip on the long-delayed vinyl version." Outsiders is available for purchase on CD and LP via Tivel's Bandcamp page and can be heard everywhere you stream music.

Throughout her work, Tivel has emphasized storytelling and Outsiders is no exception, building on the strength of her ability to observe and reflect with clear-eyed empathy. Inspired by authors from Steinbeck to Morrison, Didion to Dubus, she imbues her songs with attentive detail and a dreamlike quality that leaves the ordinary feeling both palpable and poetic.

"Anna Tivel is one of the finest storytellers modern folk music has to offer," No Depression praises, "with lyrics so literary that it's tempting to think of her as a poet with an exceptional gift for playing guitar and singing."

Anna Tivel On Tour

April 18 - 443 Social Club - Syracuse, NY^
April 19 - ThecN Bull - Galway, NY^
April 20 - The Parlor Room - Northampton, MA^
April 21 - The Word Barn - Exeter, NH^
April 22 - Club Passim - Cambridge, MA^
April 26 - Whelan's - Dublin, IE^
April 27 - De Barra's - Clonakilty, IE^
April 30 - Roisin Dubh - Galway, IE^
May 5 - Club Cafe - Pittsburgh, PA*
May 6 - Beachland Ballroom - Cleveland, OH*
May 7 - Rumba Cafe - Columbus, OH*
May 11 - Constellation Room - Santa Ana, CA~
May 12 - Felton Music Hall - Felton, CA~
May 13 - Great American Music Hall - San Francisco, CA~
May 15 - Neumos - Seattle, WA~
May 16 - Aladdin Theatre - Portland, OR~
May 17 - Hollywood Theater - Vancouver, BC~
May 19 - Kilby Court - Salt Lake City, UT~
May 20 - Bluebird Theatre - Denver, CO~
*with Joe Pug
^with Jeffrey Martin
~with Fenne Lily & Christian Lee Hutson

Photo by Vincent Bancheri

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