Song Premiere: Damien Jurado, 'Exit 353'

On paper, Damien Jurado seems like just another sad guy with a guitar, but his discography is incredibly varied: Sure, he's cut his share of sad-guy acoustic ballads, but he's also wandered down an exciting assortment of detours, and his sound has only grown more expansive and searching with time.

Jurado is in the midst of an ambitious string of albums — all produced by Richard Swift — on which he explores his more psychedelic, high-concept side: 2012's Maraqopa, 2014's Brothers And Sisters Of The Eternal Son and now, coming March 18, a 17-song epic titled Visions Of Us On The Land.

The first single from Visions, "Exit 353," is another bleary but evocative journey for the singer, who uses the song to pose a question that answers itself: "Are we all not lost in song?"

Here's Jurado himself, writing about "Exit 353" via email:

"'Exit 353' was the first song I wrote for this new album, and I initially wasn't sure about it. When it came time for me to be in the studio, sitting in front of the microphone, I hesitated as to whether or not I would actually perform it once I received the signal from Richard [Swift] that we were recording. I over-counted the beginning and just sang it through. When the take was finished, Richard turned to me and said, 'I think this could be a great single.' Living in the fresh uncertainty of what I had just recorded, I just had to lean into it and trust his instinct."

Visions Of Us On The Land comes out March 18, 2016 on Secretly Canadian.