John Craigie Finds His Footing On "Dry Land"

Written By: Big C

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Photo Credit: Carly Montgomery

John Craigie shares Dry Land, which is a reflective new single that moves with the patience of someone who has learned when to wait and when to wade in. The track leans on the subtle piano, organ, and pedal steel to frame Craigie’s plainspoken storytelling. Originally tracked in New Orleans and later reshaped in Astoria, Oregon, "Dry Land" found its final form through revision and serves as an early emotional marker of his forthcoming tenth studio album. The result feels intentional but unforced, echoing Craigie’s instinct for letting songs reveal themselves over time rather than rushing them to shore. Foreshadowing the upcoming album Craigie shared:

The majority of these songs were recorded on a nylon string guitar, which is a first for me. Similar to Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks, there were two separate recording sessions in two separate locations with different musicians. This is because after New Orleans, three of the ten songs did not meet my vision, and it was not realistic to get back to New Orleans to re-record based on everyone’s schedule. The intention in the mixing is to not have the listener able to tell which ones were recorded where, but it’s possible some attentive ears will be able to.

Engineered by longtime collaborator Bart Budwig, the song gathers a circle of trusted musicians, including Anna Moss, Cooper Trail, Luke Ydstie, and Jamie Greenan, whose collective touch gives the arrangement warmth without weight. I Swam Here arrives February 6 via Zabriskie Point Records and threads together two recording worlds. As Craigie prepares for a wide-ranging run of headline dates and festival appearances, "Dry Land" offers a calm before the current shifts again. Connect with John Craigie on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, TIKTOK, TWITTER, and YOUTUBE.

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