The Decemberists Premiere First New Song in Two Years — SkimNews
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- The Decemberists premiered "The Better Part of Bravery," their first new track in two years, composed for the end credits of the animated film Wildwood.
- Colin Meloy, the band's frontman and author of the 2011 novel Wildwood, wrote the song specifically to bookend the film, saying in a statement that returning to the Wildwood world through music was "particularly meaningful."
- The new track follows the band's 2024 LP, As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again, making it the group's first recorded output in roughly two years.
- Travis Knight directs Wildwood, which features a voice cast of Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Mahershala Ali, Angela Bassett, Tom Waits, and Richard E. Grant.
- Wildwood arrives in theaters October 23, positioning the song as a marketing centerpiece for the film's release.
Why it matters: With Colin Meloy writing both the source novel and the closing track, Wildwood represents a rare full-circle creative return more than a decade after the book was published. The October 23 theatrical release ties the band's first new material since their 2024 LP to a star-heavy animated feature, giving the song built-in promotional reach beyond a standard single drop.
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