Carly Simon’s first album in more than 18 years, “Comes in Waves,” is set to be released this Friday, August 14, six decades after her solo debut. Written and recorded primarily at her Martha’s Vineyard home, the 12-track album combines a body of work that is said to feel “both personal and expansive,” according to a press release from her team.
The album was created alongside Simon’s close circle of family, friends, and longtime collaborators, including John Forté, whose appearance on the record is his first music released since his passing. Forté, who saw Simon as a mentor, died suddenly in his home in Chilmark in January due to a fatal combination of influenza and a seizure condition. Simon’s son Ben Taylor also appears throughout the project as a singer, musician, producer, and songwriter, and her daughter Sally Taylor contributed vocals and created the cover artwork for the single, according to the release.
The opening track, “Howl,” which was released in June ahead of the album, was co-written and produced with David Spencer, a platinum- and gold-certified songwriter and producer.
“‘Howl’ lives in that space between betrayal and forgiveness, where anger has to be voiced before it can be released,” Simon said in the release. “It’s about letting the frustration out so it doesn’t sit and simmer. The song begins in anger, but it moves toward forgiveness, and speaks to any situation where trust has been broken.”
Simon, who has won five Grammy awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, recently announced on social media that she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and isn’t partaking in typical album promotion, including television appearances and in-person events.
Simultaneously, Simon was treated for basal cell carcinoma, a type of skin cancer, on her face. The cancer was removed, she said in her health statement, but affected her appearance and made her “more self-conscious about being seen in public.”
“In the middle of all this, I began recording a new album, ‘Comes in Waves.’ That still feels mysterious to me. Music has always known when to arrive,” she said in the statement.
She added: “The album includes songs and fragments of songs that had been waiting for me, some for years. There were melodies, verses, and ideas written down and tucked away for some unknown future when I would have the time and attention to finish them.”
