New Pornographers - Continue As A Guest

Along with Newman’s usual cast of collaborators, several songwriters contribute to the album in curious ways. Neko Case, who happened to be living just a short distance from Newman during lockdown, became an anchoring presence during most of the writing & recording sessions, contributing in all the ways you'd want a songwriter of Case's caliber to be involved. Standout track “Firework in the Falling Snow,” a pen pal-esque collaboration with Sadie Dupuis (Speedy Ortiz, Sad13), hits with an equal mix of freshness & familiarity, like seeing your favorite painting from an angle you've never witnessed before. A noticeable sonic change also comes courtesy of saxophonist Zach Djanikian, whose tenor and bass tones luxuriate all over Continue as a Guest’s alluring chassis, especially on the menacing build of “Pontius Pilate’s Home Movies.”