Sufjan Stevens Shares ‘Should Have Known Better’

Following the release of his lead single, "No Shade in the Shadow of the Cross", last month, Sufjan Stevens is back with a new track, "Should Have Known Better."

Following the same soft acoustic sound as the first song, Stevens looks to the past, how his mother left him and his siblings and the emotions that resulted because of it. While the new album, Carrie & Lowell, is named after his mother and stepfather, he does make sure to combine fiction and fact, which makes us wonder what comes from personal experience and what is from his own creative mind. Either way, the beautiful guitar playing shows Stevens' return to his folk roots. You can hear the whole song below:

"I should have wrote a letter / And grieve what I happen to grieve / My black shroud / I never trust my feelings / I waited for the remedy / When I was three, three maybe four / She left us at that video store / Be my rest, be my fantasy," he sings.

Carrie & Lowell hits the streets on March 31 via Stevens' label, Asthmatic Kitty Records. He is currently on the road throwing listening parties to preview the new record. He'll be heading to Sydney on March 12 then Atlanta on March 16 followed by Los Angeles on March 17.

After the album drops, Stevens will then hit the road to promote the new material. You can find his full schedule here, but he's also added a few new dates. He will be playing a second night at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle on June 11 with Helado Negro as the night's opener. Then he will participate in the Bon Iver-hosted Eaux Claires Festival on July 17 and July 18 in Eau Claire, Wis., followed by the End of the Road Festival in Larmar Tree, U.K. on Sept. 6.