Listen: Laura Marling - "Where Can I Go?"

Last year there was a rumor that British folk songstress Laura Marling would be releasing an album by year's end. She had been working on it almost immediately after wrapping up her tour supporting A Creature I Don't Know and excitement was high. Now that the speculated release date has come and gone, the real news has spread from Marling's camp as well it should. There's not a whole lot we have to go off just yet but Marling's fourth studio record Once I Was An Eagle is intended to be a more cozy, intimate affair than her past two records have been. And news from Marling claims that the new album "reflects on the darker themes of A Creature I Don't Know". What that'll mean in terms of the album's overall direction we won't know until Marling decides to let more out.



Until then there's a new track we should all be excited about. "Where Can I Go?" rambles in the windswept plains of "Salinas" or "Don't Ask Me Why" - an upbeat acoustic number where Marling's continued talent for wonderfully crafted phrases is paired with a rather sparse but lush accompaniment. It's themes of desire mixed with a sort of casual feeling of abandonment form a logical bridge between A Creature I Don't Know and the new record. It'll be interesting to see what other paths Marling's lyrics tread or whether she simply uses new narratives to tread pre-established ones but one thing is clear: "Where Can I Go?" sees Marling refreshed and ready to face her darker thoughts with the sense of wisdom and badassery that Marling displays so effortless. Marling is back and stronger than ever, displaying her power not with a sultry roar like her previous return in "Sophia" but in a calmer sort of coo.

Laura Marling's Once I Was An Eagle will be out May 28th in the US/May 27th in the UK. Get ready, it's sure to be an interesting journey.