WHY? Announces New Album Oh Golly / Yes Lord: Hear “In Spirit”
For nearly 30 years, the Cincinnati musician Yoni Wolf has been making music under the name WHY? — first as an abstract rap traveler and Anticon co-founder, then as the leader of an always-evolving indie rock band. WHY?'s most recent album was The Well I Fell Into , a 2024 account of a devastating breakup. This fall, Wolf will follow it with Oh Golly / Yes Lord , a new LP about living a…
Yoni Wolf, known for nearly three decades as the artist WHY?, is set to release a new album titled Oh Golly / Yes Lord. This forthcoming record will be his second project under the WHY? moniker, following the 2024 album The Well I Fell Into, which chronicled a painful relationship breakup. The new album will explore themes of middle-aged life after that breakup, such as attempting new relationships, navigating the digital world, and grappling with a solitary existence.
Wolf collaborated with producer Nate Mercereau, behind artists like The Weeknd and Shawn Mendes, as well as his brother Josiah and additional contributors like Andrew Broder of Fog and Ryan Olson of Gayngs. A preview of the album's sound, the lead single and closing track "In Spirit," showcases Wolf's instrumental prowess, as he played all the instruments on this track.
The song is a lo-fi ballad that delves into the emotional complexities of longing for someone distant, even if that connection remains unfulfilled in reality. Wolf describes this longing as a harmless "securely attached gesture of longing from a distance," expressing a beautiful and enough feeling despite the lack of physical meeting.
Oh Golly / Yes Lord is set to be released on October 30 through Waterlines, with pre-orders available now.
Written by urgent.news from Stereogum's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
