Bill MacKay Shares Tender 'Keeping In Time' from 'Locust Land' LP

Next month, the Chicago-based singer-songwriter and captivating guitarist Bill MacKay will release his forthcoming album, Locust Land.

The album serves as the long-awaited follow up to MacKay’s 2019 solo effort, Fountain Fire. Previously released album tracks include the dazzling “When I Was Here” and “Glow Drift,” and today, MacKay has shared “Keeping In Time,” an album highlight which finds MacKay employing a searching voice to explore themes of fate and love, as he sings “We take a step forward/Then a glance sideways/But there’s no stopping the motion of the plans you made.” The song was recorded and mixed by MacKay’s BCMC bandmate Cooper Crain, one third of Bitchin Bajas.

Speaking on the new song, MacKay said in a statement that “‘Keeping In Time’ was one of those songs that came like a gift, unhurried, unlabored. The mystery of adoration. Seeing someone for a second sometimes, but there being a flash of recognition that indicates a world of possibilities between you. This song is about that longing to connect whether to a person, place, or vision. It could be to anyone or any part of life that draws you in. Love as not a possession, but a mystery that rings true.”

The album is out on vinyl, cassette and digital streaming platforms via Drag City Records on May 24, 2024, with a tour in June to follow. Pre-order the album here. Bill MacKay will be kicking off the tour in support of the album with a full-band show in Chicago on May 23rd at Hideout, before he heads out for solo dates stretching into June.

Discussing Locust Land, MacKay noted, “While making Locust Land I had a breakthrough. I saw that I could truly let a lot of things go, without losing the joy in them, and make something new in a huge way. So it is really about clearing a new path. Making a revolution of my own in life and song.” With cover art also by Bill MacKay (the third of his albums on Drag City to feature his work), Locust Land stands as a thoroughly personal statement from Bill to everyone everywhere.

Bill MacKay Tour Dates

5/23 - Chicago, IL @ The Hideout - TICKETS

6/3 - Indianapolis, IN @ State Street Pub

6/4 - Asheville, NC @ Eulogy - TICKETS

6/5 - Charlotte, NC @ Tabor - TICKETS

6/6 - Washington, D.C. @ Rhizome

6/7 - Brooklyn, NYC @ Public Records - TICKETS

6/8 - Northampton, MA @ 90 King St.

6/9 - Rochester, NY @ Bop Shop - TICKETS

6/10 - Detroit, MI @ Moondog Café

9/4 - London, UK @ Cafe Oto - TICKETS

Locust Land Track Listing

 1.) Phantasmic Fairy

2.) Keeping In Time

3.) Glow Drift

4.) Half of You

5.) Oh Pearl

6.) Radiator

7.) When I Was Here

8.) Neil’s Field

9.) Locust Land

Photo Credit: Yvette Marie Dostatni

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