| Midwinter Swimmers | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | The Innocence Mission |
| Cover: | The_innocence_mission_-_midwinter_swimmers.jpg |
| Label: |
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| Prev Title: | See You Tomorrow |
| Prev Year: | 2020 |
Midwinter Swimmers is the thirteenth studio album by American alternative rock band The Innocence Mission, released on November 25, 2024, by Bella Union in Europe and by Thérèse Records in the United States and Canada.
Every song on the album was composed by Karen Peris, except "This Thread Is a Green Street", which was written by Karen alongside her husband Don.[1] Karen said the lyric of that song was inspired by the "transportive quality" of objects found in the "natural world", explaining that a "sewing thread when I'm mending something could remind me of a street map." She said that while writing the song, she was "envisioning the landscape as a world of doorways that might allow us to locate memory, or to be nearer in some way to people we miss." Karen related this lyrical concept to the song's recording, explaining that the band were seeking to "find the half-remembered beauty of sing-alongs of our 1970s childhoods."[2]
Karen said the song "Midwinter Swimmers" was about "looking ahead to the arrival of a loved and dear person". She said the contrast between the two words in the title reminded her of how "fragile-looking, small and pale winter flowers like snowdrops are actually so hardy and enduring that they can bloom in the snow. And this seemed to connect also with the bravery of the person who has been away."[3]
"This Thread Is a Green Street" was released as a one-track digital download and streaming single on September 3, 2024.[2] [4] Karen directed a music video for the song, which was released the same day.[5] The title track was issued as the album's second single on October 16. Karen also created a music video for that song.[3] Midwinter Swimmers was released on November 29, 2024, by Bella Union in Europe, and by Thérèse Records in the United States and Canada.[1]