
21 June 2023 – album review by Emma Dilemma
M. Ward has a message from the King, and it’s a Supernatural Thing. The guitarist’s twelfth studio album – to be released on June 23 – is filled with his signature fusion of Americana, folk, blues, and a hint of surfer rock, defying genre expectations and spanning decades. It’s a nostalgic trip through the countryside, a day at the beach, and a modern voyage, which unexpectedly feels like home.
Supernatural Thing is a warm and welcoming album, with guest collaborators including First Aid Kit, Neko Case, Jim James, and Shovels and Rope to guide the listener through Ward’s musical poetry. “All my songs depend on dream-imagery to some extent,” Ward reveals, referring to the title track in which Elvis comes to him with a message: You Can Go Anywhere You Please. He goes on to explain, “and this was an actual dream I had about Elvis, when he came to me and said that.”
Ward told PopMatters “Supernatural Thing was the one that got the whole record going. The idea of no boundaries and no fear of putting songs together that have very different styles, the way that a good radio show is, and my memories of great radio, yesterday and today, is something that challenges you and is not the same kind of song or same kind of sound.”
Through this latest LP, this idea has most certainly been brought to life. The oddly familiar melodies, woven through Ward’s vocals (an instrument in their own right), in concert with the other artists, it’s the perfect late night radio show – right down to the genius inclusion of ‘Dedication Hour’ (feat. Neko Case and Gabriel Kahane) midway through the record. The album features 8 Ward originals, and 2 covers: an instrumental arrangement of Bowie’s ‘I Can’t Give Everything Away’ and a live recording of Daniel Johnston’s ‘Story Of An Artist’ (one of my faves).

Almost every track was a standout for me in some way. ‘Lifeline’ opens the record beautifully – with hints of Dylan, Young, and Bahamas – followed by ‘Too Young To Die’ (the first of the 2 flawless First Aid Kid collabs). Elvis brings his message to California by way of Mississippi with ‘Supernatural Thing’, ‘Engine 5’ (feat. First Aid Kit), with its clickity-clack drumline, is indie pop Beach Boys, and ‘New Kerrang’ is just great fun, plain and simple.
Supernatural Thing is more than just an album, it’s the next stage in Ward’s artistic evolution. He has taken the strands of his musical influences, spun them with his distinctive style, and woven them into an audioscape that echoes with the past, resonates with the present, and promises of an exciting future.
Supernatural Thing is out 23 June