The return of Harper Simon, who has announced the follow-up to his critically acclaimed debut with new album ‘Division Street’, produced by Tom Rothrock (Elliott Smith, Beck) via Play It Again Sam.

“I see the character in the song ‘Division Street’ as being at a moment where life can go a couple different ways,” says Simon of the title track from the new record. “I think these songs tend to be like a snapshot of a character at a pivotal moment. They could go this way or that way on the metaphorical Division Street: up or down, negative or positive, to the light or to self-destruction. Or they’re looking back at a moment they didn’t recognize as pivotal,” he says. “Because we rarely do.”

‘Division Street’ is a departure for Simon. It features a sound that’s much more driven by electric guitars than his alt country-flavoured debut. “The mission was to make the kind of rock ‘n’ roll record I would want to listen to myself,” he says. “Which sounds simple but is, in fact, incredibly difficult.”

Division Street was recorded with a small coterie of guest musicians, including Pete Thomas from Elvis Costello’s Attractions on drums, Nikolai Fraiture from The Strokes on bass, vocals by Inara George, Feist’s musical director Brian LeBarton playing synths, as well as Nate Walcott from Bright Eyes and Wilco’s Mikael Jorgensen. “I’m very lucky,” says Simon. “Everybody that we asked to come and guest on the record showed up.”