I started working on the songs for this album after Trump’s election and released it just after the midterms in 2018.. It was a particularly dark period for me. As a father, Trump represented everything I don’t want my children to be or become. You want to be able to assure your kids that things will work out, that the good side wins eventually, that history arcs toward justice. But I needed a broader view to hold onto those beliefs. I remember when the Supreme Court ruled that there wouldn’t be a recount in Florida and Bush was declared the victor over Gore in 2000. I wrote some political songs then. But this felt different. Bigger. Scarier.

Each song on this album takes on a different issue of the day. The Faded Red and Blue is about immigration. Throw Down a Line is about gun control (written after the Parkland and Vegas shootings). Ash to Ash tries to understand the fear behind supporting someone like Trump.

Eventually, I wanted my songwriting to move beyond the muck, and so I tried to write a political love song, a song that might unite rather than divide. So I started writing a list of what I loved rather than what I was angry about. I wrote verse after verse. Slowly I edited it down into This Be Dear to Me. The song is a prayer. It’s a plea to be able to see what is worth fighting for and to ignore all that separates us. I think this is the best song I’ve ever written. It goes through several key changes and returns to where we began.

We made a beautiful video for the song, featuring artwork by Stan Berning and handwriting by my son Noah.