Jim James Finds A ‘Wow’ Signal

Before My Morning Jacket settles into San Francisco for an October residency, frontman Jim James is turning inward.

The artist has announced Wowed Out, his first solo album in eight years, will emerge Aug. 28 via ATO Records. The 24-track collection transforms music originally composed for a pair of abandoned film-scoring projects into a deeply personal meditation on overstimulation, wonder and the simple joys that still cut through the noise.

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The album’s first single, “Come Again,” arrives with a video and a message of perseverance. Originally written for a scene set in a teddy bear factory, the song evolved into something more universal. “‘Come Again’ came from feeling discouraged by how much things are changing in directions I don’t agree with, but trying to remember that there’s still so much beauty to be experienced,” James says. “You’ve got to just keep going and keep trying again and again and again to find joy.”

The title Wowed Out comes from James’ own phrase for the sensory exhaustion brought on by modern life. Produced entirely by the Louisville-based artist, the album took shape last fall as he revisited years’ worth of recordings made alongside longtime friend and acclaimed composer Brian Reitzell, whose film credits include Lost in Translation and The Virgin Suicides.

“For years I kept returning to all this music we’d made and couldn’t figure out what to do with it,” James says. “But for some reason, last year everything started flowing in a really beautiful way.”

The resulting record leans heavily into James’ fascination with found sounds and sonic collage, balancing existential themes with lush, transportive arrangements. Mixed alongside Grammy-winning engineer Emily Lazar, songs such as “Lost Child” and “Hands On” champion tenderness, nature and empathy as antidotes to anxiety and disconnection.

“There’ve been times in my life where I’ve felt lost or depressed, but music has always been the thing that pulls me back,” James says. “The whole thing brought me a lot of joy and comfort while I was making it, and I hope it brings everyone else a little joy and comfort too.”

Before Wowed Out arrives, James will join Beck, Jackson Browne, Bill Murray, Britt Daniel and others for July’s all-star Music From the Films of Wes Anderson concerts at the Hollywood Bowl. He’ll also play a solo acoustic set at Utah’s Song Summit on the upcoming album’s release day.

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