Video: Watch Anna Tivel's NPR Tiny Desk Concert

Portland, Oregon-based artist Anna Tivel makes her NPR Tiny Desk debut where she performed songs from her widely acclaimed new album Outsiders  — "Black Umbrella," "Heroes," and "Royal Blue" — as well as an unreleased new song called "Fluorescence In the Future."

Of the "quiet and riveting performance," NPR states, "As always, Tivel's remarkable empathy elevates her folk-based, jazz-touched compositions from mere stories to secular prayers...Inside [the trio's] swirling arrangements, Tivel's portraits of pain and resilience become hypnotic, like dreams, like reality as we cope with it, always unfolding."

Outsiders is available now on CD and LP via Tivel's Bandcamp page and can be heard everywhere you stream music.

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. 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,” praises No Depression, “with lyrics so literary that it’s tempting to think of her as a poet with an exceptional gift for playing guitar and singing.”

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 release, Outsiders 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."

Tivel has since shared two b-side singles from the same recording sessions as Outsiders: "American Novella" and "The Good Fight." Folk Radio UK says, "Tivel’s expressive vocals are blissful as ever as she unravels her beautiful, almost prose-like verses, which once more highlight how bewitching and poetic a songwriter she truly is," and Americana UK adds, "Anna Tivel, we will never cease to tell you, is one of the finest songwriters of her generation." 

Tivel's Tiny Desk follows her recent appearance on NPR's Mountain Stage alongside Robbie Fulks, The Gibson Brothers, Jaimee Harris, and Nicholas Jamerson. She finished a tour supporting Fenne Lily and Christian Lee Hutson last week and will continue touring throughout this summer including shows with Joe Pug and Jeffrey Martin. See below for full tour details.

Anna Tivel On Tour

June 22 — Eddie's Attic — Decatur, GA^
June 23 — The Grey Eagle — Asheville, NC^
June 24 — The Evening Muse — Charlotte, NC^
June 25 — Cat's Cradle — Carrboro, NC^
July 1 — New Prospect Theatre — Bellingham, WA+
July 2 — The Cobalt Cabaret — Vancouver, BC+
July  4 — Ironwood Stage and Grill — Calgary, AB+
July 5 — The Aviary — Edmonton, AB+
July 6 — Capitol Music Club — Saskatoon, SK+
July 7 — Artesian — Regina, SK+
July 11 — The Good Will — Winnipeg, MB+
July 12 — 7th St Entry — Minneapolis, MN+
July 13 — Lamplight Sessions — Mosinee, WI+
July 14 — The Back Room @ Colectivo — Milwaukee, WI+
July 15 — The Midtown GR — Grand Rapids, MI+
July 17 — Babeville — Buffalo, NY+
July 18 — The Drake Hotel — Toronto, ON+
July 19 — Club Cafe — Pittsburgh, PA+
July 20 — Natalie's Grandview (Music Hall & Kitchen) — Columbus, OH+
July 22 — Space — Evanston, IL+
July 23 — High Noon Saloon — Madison, WI+
July 25 — xBk Live — Des Moines, IA+
July 26 — Trumpet Blossom Cafe — Iowa City, IA+
July 27 — Reverb Lounge — Omaha, NE+
July 29 — The Matthews Opera House & Arts Center — Spearfish, SD+
December 1 — Turf Club — St Paul, MN^
^with Joe Pug
+with Jeffrey Martin