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Hear Sufjan Stevens' New Song, 'Wallowa Lake Monster'

By Robin Hilton

Published October 11, 2017 at 10:55 AM EDT

Sufjan Stevens is sharing a rare outtake he recorded while making his 2015 album Carrie & Lowell.The song, "Wallowa Lake Monster," is one of several previously unreleased tracks included in an upcoming collection of remixes, demos and alternate versions of songs from that period.

Like the other tracks on Carrie & Lowell,"Wallowa Lake Monster" finds Stevens reflecting on the troubled relationship he had with his mother and the inner demons that haunted her. "But have you heard the story of my mother's fate?" Stevens sings over a gently arpeggiated guitar. "She left us in Detroit in the rain with a pillow case."

"Wallowa Lake Monster" is one of four previously unreleased songs included on his upcoming mixtape, The Greatest Gift,along with "The Hidden River Of My Life," "City Of Roses" and the title track, "The Greatest Gift." The mixtape also features intimate demo recordings and versions of the original songs remixed by Stevens, Doveman, Helado Negro and James McAlister.

Stevens originally announced the mixtape back in April, but this is the first music we're hearing from it. The Greatest Giftis due out Nov. 24 on Asthmatic Kitty.