The Decemberists don't cheat fans, of course. The group delivers sporadic LPs, but also mixes in EPs and the random single too. It's been since 2024 that Colin Meloy and his mates have delivered new goodness, but at least the new single, "The Better Part of Bravery," is worth the wait.
Plus, the track comes as part of the animated film called Wildwood, which is itself based on Meloy's novel of the same name. In essence, the Decemberists' new tune is a cottage industry.
He writes a book, a film is made from that book, and the Decemberists create a new song based on the film of that novel. It's so tight and obvious, but that doesn't mean that none of it is good. It all will likely be great.
The Decemberists' latest gem is both cottage industry and excellence
Is "The Better Part of Bravery" great? If you like the folkier aspect of the band, then yes. To be fair, some of the group's better hymns have been from albums such as The King Is Dead, which the new single borrows heavily from sonically. That album, though, is 15 years old, so the new track is simply an extension of the better part of Colin Meloy's songwriting.
The tune begins with a focus on acoustic guitar rhythm, and Meloy's vocals enter soon thereafter. He has a solid voice, though not one that anyone would think of as classically trained. That's kind of the point. The way he turns a phrase of excellence and unique.
If anything, the new track pays homage to Mumford and Sons as much as anything else. The instrumentation isn't as expansive, but more a pure form of folk, though with a nod to rock, just as Mumford's tunes are.
Is the new song beautiful in the best way The King Is Dead songs are? Oh, most definitely yes. In fact, this is partly why the so-far one-off from Wildwood is so magnificent. Instead of leaving King behind, we can safely assume that was in Colin Meloy's bones all along, just as we secretly expected but were too timid to assume.
If Meloy were to come out and say the latest track was a leftover from the 2011 album, fans would likely not be surprised. It would fit on The King Is Dead, which might be the greatest compliment that the new song can get. We are all better off for it.
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