Today, guitarist Mason Lindahl — whose “unabashedly beautiful” (Aquarium Drunkard) sound “balances the romantic dynamics of flamenco and the meticulousness of Windham Hill with the unguarded qualities of improvised music” (Pitchfork) — shares “Joshua Under Water,” a cut from his pair of new albums: Joshua / Same Day Walking, out September 24 via Mt. Brings Death.

Listen to “Joshua Under Water” here and pre-order Joshua / Same Day Walking here.

Album opener “Joshua Under Water” sonically straddles a line between hope and fear. Like a lonesome cowboy finding a flowing stream of water after a ride through the desert, the tune’s journey has a natural strength that grows into something wonderfully cerebral.

Though packaged together, Joshua and Same Day Walking chart distinct worlds. Recorded in northern California and produced by Robby Moncrieff (Dirty Projectors, Zach Hill), Joshua is woolier and warmer, evoking haze, humidity, and overgrown Spanish moss. Meanwhile, Same Day Walking — recorded in Iceland and produced by Moncrieff alongside two-time GRAMMY-winning composer / sound designer Sam Slater (Joker, Chernobyl) — is, appropriate for its icier climes, windswept and beholden to the vast emptiness of harsh landscapes. As a pair, they provide a thorough portrait of Lindahl’s singular and versatile playing.

Amid Lindahl’s purely evident virtuosity, close listeners can savor wonderful imperfections freckled throughout Joshua / Same Day Walking: buzzing strings, minimal electronic ambience, soft undulations of tempo. Lindahl isn’t here to pageant his craft; he’s adventuring within, uncovering fresh avenues of sound and emotive gesture.

Lead single “Little Sister,” a selection from Same Day Walking that came last month, is transfixing and brimming with meticulous, iridescent beauty: atop grainy but atmospheric synth pads, Lindahl maneuvers with swift placidity while conveying an irradiated, glacial realization of grief. Hearing Things called it “a glimpse of something sublime.”

Described by friend and contemporary Hayden Pedigo as “the greatest living guitar player,” Mason Lindahl’s “austere, gothic flamenco…dares you to submit to this odd and immersive sonic universe” (Uncut). The Northern California native’s solo instrumental debut Kissing Rosy in the Rain, released in 2021 via Tompkins Square, was praised as “gorgeous” (Petal Motel) and “a minimalist gem” (Everything Is Noise). Prior to that, his only other solo release is 2009’s Serrated Man Sound.