Sufjan Stevens has released two new songs to mark Pride month. You can hear them above.
The tracks both explore the topic of love and the origins of one of them – titled ‘Love Yourself’ – stretch back to a sketch written by Stevens over 20 years ago. The other track, titled ‘With My Whole Heart’, is brand new and was made, he says, as a personal challenge to "write an upbeat and sincere love song without conflict, anxiety or self-deprecation".
The tracks are available digitally now, and will be released on limited-edition 7" vinyl on June 28. They are backed by the original 4-track demo of ‘Love Yourself’ that Stevens wrote in 1996 as well as a short instrumental reprise of the track.
A portion of the proceeds from sales of this project will be donated to two organisations that provide support for LGBTQ and homeless kids in America: the Ali Forney Center in Harlem and the Ruth Ellis Center in Detroit. You can pre-order the record here.
