Iron & Wine

Sam Beam, Aka Iron & Wine, Returns to His Acoustic Roots, Tapping Into His Animal Self in the Process on His Sixth Record, Beast Epic

Sam Beam, better known by his songwriting moniker Iron & Wine is contemplating the effects of working solo. “When you make your own records for a while, you almost don’t hear yourself,” he says. “When you have something else to compare it to you’re like, ‘Oh, this is what my voice does’ – you’re almost re-introduced to yourself.”

The Durham, North Carolina-based indie-folk songwriter and his shape shifting line-up of backing musicians – often described by Beam as “a band with one permanent member” – are preparing for the release of his new full-length, Beast Epic. It’s the sixth with “Iron & Wine on the spine”, the first since 2013’s Ghost On Ghost and the continuance of the poetic writer’s own narrative, following well-received collaborations with Ben Bridwell (Band Of Horses) and Jesca Hoop. It may be long-awaited, but the partnerships, particularly the latter on 2016’s Love Letter For Fire, reaped rewards for a songwriter used to flying solo.