Song You Need: Nate Amos’s new song is a beautiful portrait of a bird’s demise.

The FADER’s “Songs You Need” are the tracks we can’t stop playing. Check back every day for new music and follow along on our Spotify playlist.

The Nate Amos extended musical universe is a gargantuan maze of side projects and Bandcamp links, including (but not exclusive to) his work as part of Water From Your Eyes and My Idea. This Friday, August 25, he will release a short new solo EP under his This Is Lorelei moniker. EP #33 is where you will find "The Laughter Remains," a languid waltz written after Amos got sober and rediscovered a productivity and creativity he was scared he might lose in that process.

On "The Laughter Remains," Amos sings from the perspective of someone observing an angel as they tend to a wounded bird. The savior figure tries to reassure the ailing creature, telling it to "feel no fear little bird, I am here." A string section sits beneath these comforting words, swelling as the angel compares death to the changing seasons. Amos's work is often described as "quirky" or possessed with a "slacker" quality but there is a maturity and depth to this songwriting that suggests sobriety has brought with it a heartfelt quality to the work. It's exciting to see where he takes it next.