In November, the beloved Durham-via-Baltimore duo Wye Oak announced JOIN, their most expansive and ambitious tour to date, and shared new song “Fortune," described by Stereogum as “a glorious synthesis of Wye Oak’s past and present, pointing to a new way forward.” Embraced widely, “Fortune” was a new high watermark for a group that has a reputation for always one-upping itself.

Today, we get another glimpse into that future with “Fear of Heights,” a track that reveals a lyrical connection to “Fortune” and hints of a thematic adhesive to the group’s exciting new music.

Jenn Wasner on “Fear of Heights”:

This song’s central metaphor likens the deepening of a relationship to the feeling of ascending to the top of a very tall place. There’s something to be seen (or learned, or experienced) once you arrive, but for some there is also a fear that increases with every step upwards. You say it’s worth it for the view, but it’s impossible to know if that’s true until you get there to see it with your own eyes.

Tickets to Wye Oak’s JOIN tour are moving quickly, with Philadelphia and Baltimore dates selling out early and Portland’s show already upgraded to a larger venue. JOIN will feature a newly expanded live band performing not only Wye Oak’s music but songs from Andy Stack’s and Wasner’s respective solo projects, Joyero and Flock of Dimes, and beyond. These performances will include new music, re-imaginings of songs from deep in their catalog, and hidden gems spanning their parallel creative work. 

A full list of shows can be found below; pick up tickets to the one nearest you, and press play on the JOIN playlist featuring music from Wye Oak’s ever-growing family tree, including Bon Iver, Sylvan Esso, Lambchop, Helado Negro, Future Islands, Deerhoof, and more.

Critical praise for Wye Oak’s “Fortune”:

“Cavernous, skyward, sedimentary—Wye Oak treats instrumental lines like geological and geographic phenomena, building sonic landscapes on ‘Fortune’ ever more evocative of rock’s enduring, primal power.” —NPR

“verses grappling with loss, choruses seeking to move on.” —NY Times

“It’s hard not to think of ‘Fortune’ in terms of geology; this is the sound of a band that knows it can provoke the sheer physical awe of cliffs and canyons at will.” —A.V. Club

“The new song they just released, however, is not the Wye Oak I used to know. They are on a different kind of trip with this, and it’s making me so curious to hear more of what this North Carolina duo are cooking up in the future.” —Refinery29

“A beautifully processed electric guitar creeps like a crystal spider through the kind of cool, majestic, loping groove the duo has made its own.” —Indy Week

Wye Oak JOIN on tour:
Feb 27 Asheville, NC – The Mothlight
Feb 28 Durham, NC – Baldwin Auditorium
Feb 29 Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s [SOLD OUT]
Mar 01 Baltimore, MD – 2640 Space [SOLD OUT]
Mar 03 Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair
Mar 04 Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
Mar 05 Richmond, VA – The Broadberry
Mar 20 Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
Mar 21 Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater
Mar 23 San Francisco, CA – The Independent
Mar 24 Los Angeles, CA – Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Mar 25 Los Angeles, CA – Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery