Carly Simon Announces First Album of Original Songs in 16 Years, Shares Lead Single 'Howl'
Carly Simon has released 'Howl,' the lead single from her upcoming album 'Comes in Waves,' due August 14, 2026. The album marks her first collection of original material since 2008's 'This Kind of Love,' featuring nine new songs plus revisited earlier works recorded at her Martha's Vineyard studio. The release signals a significant return for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, now 82, after nearly two decades away from original studio recordings.
Carly Simon, 82, has announced 'Comes in Waves,' her first album of original songs since 2008, set for release on August 14, 2026. The lead single, 'Howl,' is described by Simon as living 'in that space between betrayal and forgiveness,' with lyrics encouraging a friend to vocally release pain after a relationship ends. The 12-track album was co-written and produced with David Spencer and recorded at Simon's studio in Martha's Vineyard, with production oversight from longtime collaborator Paul Samwell-Smith and engineer Frank Filipetti. The record features contributions from Simon's children Ben and Sally Taylor — with Sally also creating the album's painterly ocean seascape cover art — as well as one of the final recorded appearances by John Forté, the Fugees-affiliated rapper and producer who died in January 2026 and was a close friend of Simon's. Simon's last studio album, 'Never Been Gone' (2009), consisted of acoustic reworkings of her own catalog rather than new original material. The album's title is drawn from a track called 'Slowly,' and its overarching theme, according to Simon's label, is personal resetting and renewal.
How coverage differed
Rolling Stone frames the album primarily around Simon's personal artistry and emotional narrative, describing the single as 'gentle and powerful' and emphasizing her Hall of Fame status. Pitchfork takes a more factual, discography-focused approach, clarifying the distinction between original material and re-recordings to precisely date her last album of new songs to 2008 rather than 2009.
What different sources said
- PitchforkCenter
Carly Simon Readies First Album of Original Songs Since 2008
- Rolling StoneLeft
Carly Simon Teases First Album in Nearly 20 Years With Triumphant Song ‘Howl’
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