Jude Brothers to Release New Album DOGWOOD MAIDEN VOYAGE
The folk duo's latest project features original compositions rooted in Americana storytelling.
Jude Brothers is set to release a new album, DOGWOOD MAIDEN VOYAGE, on September 25.
The album will arrive via Gar Hole Records. Alongside the announcement, Jude Brothers has released a new single, 'Desire and Devotion,' accompanied by a cinematic music video featuring handcrafted puppetry by Flying Wall Studios and puppet maker Sabrina Griffith. Blending folklore and myth, the video follows a woman who sets off to sea, singing her songs until she is confronted by evil. Finding refuge within the ocean, the story reflects Brothers' own complex relationship with the sea and deepens the song's timeless, storybook atmosphere.
'There's grief and darkness in this music, but there's light, too,' says Brothers. 'DOGWOOD MAIDEN VOYAGE makes room for both sides of that divide. It's an album of multitudes — a record for all seasons.'
The album marks a new chapter for Brothers. Following the raw, live solo performances of 2017's & the Concrete Dragonfly and 2023's render tender/blunder sunder, DOGWOOD MAIDEN VOYAGE expands their sound with string arrangements, vocal harmonies, and a collaborative cast of musicians. Inspired by global folk traditions, sacred music, and pop songwriting, the record embraces a warmer, more expansive palette without losing the intimacy at its core.
The first glimpse into that world comes with 'Desire and Devotion,' written after Brothers found themselves 'walking along some cliffs overlooking the sea in Northumberland,' feeling 'completely overcome with desperation to be free of the ceaseless cycles of wanting.'
'I had just turned 22 years old the first time I saw the ocean,' Brothers recalls. 'I jumped in without any fear or consideration for the dangers of this big and powerful water. I didn't even know to be scared until I made my way back to shore, shaking and crying—ecstatically happy, humbled, and completely terrified all at once. This song dwells in that memory - remembering the younger version of myself, their bravery and their heartaches- my whole being yearning for everyone and everything I've ever loved. What if I could throw this feeling into the waves? What if I could cast this hunger, this loneliness, this longing into the sea and let it sink all the way to the bottom?'
Holding grief and hope, fear and wonder in equal measure, DOGWOOD MAIDEN VOYAGE invites listeners into a richly imagined world where folk traditions, natural landscapes, and deeply personal experiences converge.
