Prog-doom stalwarts YOB have shared the sublime title track from their anticipated eighth album, Our Raw Heart, due out early next month. A cathartic ripper, it finds the Oregon trio — frontman Mike Scheidt, bassist Aaron Rieseberg and drummer Travis Foster — forging through the darkness at a glacial pace before exploding in a triumphant doom crescendo, with a sonic blast radius stretching on into infinity. It follows crushing first single "The Screen," which the band shared last month.
Arriving June 8th via Relapse, Our Raw Heart marks YOB's first offering since Scheidt's 2017 battle with a life-threatening case of acute diverticulitis, a gastrointestinal disorder. That harrowing experience influenced the themes of the album writ large, title track obviously included.
"The album title hit me early that year, so I knew the lyrics would be informed by it," Schiedt says of "Our Raw Heart," which premiered via Noisey. He went on to identify his loved ones — more specifically, the support they offered during his illness — as an inspiration for the uplifting track. "So many people came to my aid while I was recovering — It almost seems trite to say it was humbling, but I felt this heightened state of support and connection to people around the world who gave to me in many different ways so I could keep my head above water, whether it was encouragement, financial support or spiritual support."
Below, watch Mike Scheidt's moving acoustic performance of YOB's standout song "Marrow," filmed at his father's Oregon tree farm:
