William Tyler’s Music from First Cow arrives on all digital platforms this Friday, March 6, the same release day as the A24-released, Kelly Reichardt-directed film for which he composed the music. A physical version of the score will be available on July 31; pre-order on vinyl today in the Merge store. On March 31, Tyler will make an appearance at the Belcourt Theatre in Nashville for a special screening of First Cow.

In First Cow, Kelly Reichardt once again trains her perceptive and patient eye on the Pacific Northwest, this time evoking an authentically hardscrabble early nineteenth century way of life. A taciturn loner and skilled cook (John Magaro) has traveled west and joined a group of fur trappers in Oregon Territory, though he only finds true connection with a Chinese immigrant (Orion Lee) also seeking his fortune; soon the two collaborate on a successful business, although its longevity is reliant upon the clandestine participation of a nearby wealthy landowner’s prized milking cow. Reichardt again shows her distinct talent for depicting the peculiar rhythms of daily living and ability to capture the immense, unsettling quietude of rural America. Regarding Tyler’s score, Reichardt says: “William Tyler turned up at the First Cow edit room with his several guitars, a dulcimer, and long fingernails. He got right to work, picking and strumming—it was all as good as it could be.”

William Tyler’s latest full-length is 2019’s Goes West, an album the Wall Street Journal says “exists in the spaces between genres and styles,” one that “finds Mr. Tyler taking harmonic and melodic development to a new level.” He also recently recorded an Aquarium Drunkard Lagniappe Session featuring covers of Yo La Tengo, Dvořák, Handel, and Fleetwood Mac. This month, Tyler hits the road for a run of shows in the southeast with Steve Gunn and Mary Lattimore, including an appearance at Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, before returning to Nashville for the special screening of First Cow.

About A24:
Based in NY and LA, A24 is the Academy Award-winning film and TV studio behind feature films such as Lady Bird, Hereditary, The Farewell, Moonlight, Ex Machina, Amy, Room, The Witch, and Uncut Gems. A24 TV productions include the Golden Globe-winning Hulu comedy series Ramy, HBO stand up specials from Jerrod Carmichael and Julio Torres, Netflix docuseries The Confession Tapes and Exhibit A, HBO specials 2 Dope Queens and Pod Save America, and the HBO drama Euphoria starring Zendaya.

William Tyler on tour:
Mar 15 Birmingham, AL – Saturn
Mar 16 Nashville, TN – Third Man Records*
Mar 17 Atlanta, GA – Terminal West*
Mar 18 Gainesville, FL– The Atlantic*
Mar 19 Tampa Bay, FL – Crowbar*
Mar 20 Miami, FL – Gramps*
Mar 21 Jacksonville, FL – Intuition Ale Works*
Mar 23 Charlotte, NC – Recover Brands*
Mar 24 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle Back Room*
Mar 25 Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle*
Mar 29 Knoxville, TN – Big Ears Festival^
* w/ Steve Gunn & Mary Lattimore
^ Electric Appalachia w/ Mary Lattimore