Ivy—the cult 1990s indie-pop trio featuring the late Adam Schlesinger, Andy Chase, and Dominique Durand—have announced their first new album in 15 years. Built using demos and song fragments dating from between 1995 to 2012, the LP, Traces of You, features Schlesinger on every song, with the blessing of his family. Leading the album—which gets released on September 5 via Bar/None—is the new single “Say You Will,” which utilizes a 2009 demo where Schlesinger played bass and keyboard. Give that a listen below.
“The world thought Ivy was gone after 2012, and for a time we did too. And, after Adam’s death in 2020, it seemed certain,” Chase said in a statement. “So, Dominique and I are thrilled to give everyone a brand new Ivy album, with our beloved Adam playing on every song!”
Traces of You follows Ivy’s 2011 studio album, All Hours. Since then, Ivy have reissued their debut album, Realistic, their sophomore LP, Apartment Life, and 2000’s Long Distance. Ivy also uploaded the songs “Sleeping Late” and “Sweet Mary,” which were previously unavailable digitally, as well as the never-before-released “All I Ever Wanted.”
While sorting through storage in their Rhode Island studio to prep those reissues, Ivy stumbled upon a treasure trove of reel-to-reel tapes and old hard drives with unused material. Chase and Durand knew they wanted to work on Ivy demos featuring Schlesinger, but were overwhelmed the task of choosing which songs to finish. With the help of Bruce Driscoll, Ivy’s backing keyboardist and guitarist, they slowly compiled 10 tracks to form Traces of You from those archives.
Schlesinger died from COVID-19 in April 2020. In addition to Ivy, Schlesinger was a member of Fountains of Wayne, Tinted Windows, and Fever High. The Emmy-winning artist had a vast repertoire of film and TV music, ranging from the Oscar-nominated title track for Tom Hanks’ 1996 film That Thing That You Do! to the beloved pop hits of Josie and the Pussycats. He won three Emmy Awards and one Grammy Award, and was nominated for Academy Awards, Tony Awards, and Golden Globe Awards. After his death, Schlesinger was remembered by artists with a special covers album, reunions by Fountains of Wayne and That Thing You Do! cast members, and a 2021 star-studded tribute show.
Revisit Pitchfork’s “That Thing You Do! Is a Testament to the Power of One Great Song.”
