Today, Oscar-nominated composer and experimental pop and rock artist Jerskin Fendrix returns to his solo music project with the announcement of Once Upon A Time...In Shropshire. The new record — a follow-up to his 2020 debut, Winterreise — will be released October 10 via untitled records.

The singer-songwriter also shared the third single and introductory track off the new album, "Beth's Farm". Listen to it below:

The new record promises to lean more into a folksier sound, distancing itself from Winterreise's electronic and hyperpop sounds. "Beth's Farm", for instance, begins with choral echoes supporting his own singular voice, building up to a climax full of tinkling bells and a classical string quartet. Yet, the experimental flourishes of his debut still come back in some form, as previous singles "SK1" and "Jerskin Fendrix Freestyle" wildly contrast from "Beth's Farm" in tone, volume, and instrumentation.

Once Upon A Time...In Shropshire is, to Fendrix, "10 Folk Songs about Life & Death in the Countryside." Imagining himself as voices of different characters — his younger self, his friends and family, the looming presence of death — he aims to explore coming of age in the English county.

"To some extent it's a very loving testament to what that place was like," Fendrix commented about the inspiration of his West Midlands hometown via a press release. "It's not a sad thing. It’s trying to capture that place and how important that was to me — and then how, bit by bit, it gets corrupted."

The new album was written in between his scoring for Yorgos Lanthimos's Poor Things (2023) and Kinds of Kindness (2024) — an ongoing collaboration that will continue with the soundtrack and score for the director's upcoming film, Bugonia (2025).

Once Upon A Time...In Shropshire is out October 10. Pre-order here. Full tracklist:

1. Beth’s Farm
2. Princess
3. Sk1
4. Sk2
5. Mum & Dad
6. Jerskin Fendrix Freestyle
7. The Universe
8. King Lear
9. Together Again
10. Last Night In Shropshire