Produced by Sheff and mixed by Shawn Everett (Julian Casablancas, Alabama Shakes), ‘In The Rainbow Rain’ follows Okkervil River’s critically lauded 2016 album ‘Away,’ but it treads a different path - while ‘Away’ was reflective and solitary, ‘In The Rainbow Rain’ is the buoyant and vulnerable next chapter.

‘In The Rainbow Rain’ is a ten-song collection written by Sheff with contributions from his new band mates, Benjamin Lazar Davis (bass), Will Graefe (guitar), Sarah Pedinotti (keys) and Cully Symington (percussion) - the same iteration of Okkervil River that joined Sheff on the ‘Away’ tour. "It was my favorite touring experience I’ve had since 2003, the first time we went over to Europe," recalls Sheff. "I felt like a kid again. I realized how phenomenally lucky I am that I’ve been able to play music for this long."

Sheff and the band started work on the new album shortly after the end of that tour – and the presidential election. “If December 2016 was good for anything, it was good for writing songs,” he says. Galvanized by the seismic events of that Fall, Sheff channeled his outrage and sadness into a form of hopeful protest. With newfound inspiration from the Quaker meetings he had begun attending, Sheff injected the album with undercurrents of spirituality and gratitude. The result is something akin to a modern secular gospel record, and among the best music of his career.

Highlights include driving, melodic anthems “Love Somebody” and “Pulled Up The Ribbon,” and "Famous Tracheotomies," which chronicles notable figures who've endured the titular procedure, including Gary Coleman, Dylan Thomas, Ray Davies, and Sheff himself. “The record is supposed to be fun and uplifting,” he says. “Something that makes you feel good.”