Photo Credit: Annie Marcum

Jon Miller

Local band Hand Sand Hands—the exploratory solo project of musician Jon Miller—has maintained a low profile since releasing the Flagpole fave Good Luck With That in 2014. Now, Miller is set to return with a full-length follow-up, Bad Mountain, out July 7 via Athens label Arrowhawk Records.

The deeply personal record touches on themes of grief, recovery and grace, and represents a new direction for Hand Sand Hands, as it moves away from the hyperactive noise-pop of previous releases and towards an intimate, late-night psych-folk sound. 

Today, we're jazzed to give you an exclusive stream of "Vowels," Bad Mountain's aching, artful second track. Check it out below:

"'Vowels' is a song of appreciation for my girlfriend Annie," Miller explains. "How I love everything with her—even silence. The rest of the album is a reflection on personal nostalgia, good or bad, a purposeful step backwards momentarily before resuming forward at whichever speed I choose."

Pre-order Bad Mountain via Bandcamp.