Semisonic Detail New Album, ‘Little Bit of Sun,’ Share ‘The Rope’

By Jon Blistein

Semisonic, the Nineties rock outfit behind the perennial late-night anthem “Closing Time,” are back with a new song, “The Rope,” which will appear on their first album in over 20 years, Little Bit of Sun, out Nov. 3.

“The Rope” has a bright alt-rock crunch bolstered by brisk horns and piano, as well as a rich halo of backing vocals. The song arrives with a charming music video, directed by Otto Harder and Philip Harder, in which a dog breaks free of its owner and enjoys a bit of time on the lam before getting lonely, spotting a “lost dog” poster, and dashing home.

“The Rope” follows two previously released singles, “Little Bit of Sun” and “Grow Your Own,” both of which will appear on Little Bit of Sun as well. As Stereogum notes, the new album was recorded in Semisonic’s hometown of Minneapolis and will feature contributions from Jason Isbell and My Morning Jacket’s Jim James. The band also worked with songwriters like Lori McKenna and Amy Allen, with the latter co-writing “The Rope.”

Little Bit of Sun will mark Semisonic’s first studio album since 2001’s All About Chemistry, though the band did return with new material in 2020, dropping the EP, You’re Not Alone. Frontman Dan Wilson — who’s enjoyed a very successful songwriting career in the interim, working with artists like the Chicks and Adele — spoke about writing a new album with Semisonic after such a long time.

“My approach as an artist has always been to write from where I am now,” he said. “It’s been two decades since Semisonic made a full record together, so it was interesting to write from the perspective of returning to the band and finding it inspiring but very different. I couldn’t help but think about the early days, about the formative influences that shaped and inspired us, but a lot of the songs are about the present moment in my life.”