ButThe Ascensionis somewhat of a sonic departure for the mercurial Stevens.
For the albums more romantic songs, he took inspiration from pop icons like Sade and George Michael.
Janet Jacksons 1989 classicRhythm Nationwas an influence, too, in how it unites pop production with politics.
Sufjan Stevens.Credit: Evans Richardson
Making another solo record also meant returning to his DIY roots.
He handled everything from the writing and producing down to the album art and typography.
Its there that he spent his pandemic summer, trimming trees and chasing groundhogs out of the garden.
But I wanted to do it in a way that was listenable and beat-driven and beautiful.
What could be more fun than that?
