Bonnie "Prince" Billy has shared another track from forthcoming album The Purple Bird. It's named after actor and musician London May – the same London May who also happens to appear in the music video.

Though miraculous happenstance isn't uncommon in the world of Will Oldham's alter ego, this one actually makes sense. "London May" was originally written for a horror movie called Night of the Bastard, which featured May. The actor has been a buddy of Oldham's since the mid 80s, and the song became sort of a token of their long-standing friendship. “I made up a song for him that combined some of the things I felt we shared," Oldham comments.

Check out the video below:

Oldham has more to say about the song, and the way David Ferguson – who produced The Purple Bird – factored into it all:

“When David Ferguson and I were putting songs together for The Purple Bird sessions, I remembered the song I'd made for London's film; I was performing it regularly live, and it didn't feel quite complete… Ferg was game, and we tracked it. I'd long begun to want to hear other voices in the song.  In the end, we roped in the phenomenal Kentucky-born singer Brit Taylor to sing harmonies and other supporting parts.  Her voice is stellar to say the least.”

Director Sai Selvarajan, who filmed the video in Houston, added the following commentary:

“This song is so beautifully constructed in that it starts off moody and dark and gives way to optimism. I really wanted the visuals to depict that. I took a lot of things I love and threw them into the creative cauldron. From breakdancing to skateboarding to mid-century modern architecture to 35mm slide projectors.”

Last month, Oldham released the previous single "Our Home", which featured Tim O'Brien. You can preorder The Purple Bird here.

Additionally, Bonnie "Prince" Billy has a handful of California dates in store to mark the release of The Purple Bird.

Check them out below:

02-07 — Santa Cruz, CA - Vet’s Hall
02-08 — San Francisco, CA - Grace Cathedral
02-09 — Grass Valley, CA - Center for the Arts
02-10 — Sonoma, CA - Sebastiani Theatre
02-12 — Ojai, CA - Topa Bowl
02-14 — Los Angeles, CA - Pico Union Project

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