Michael Stipe Steps Out Solo With 'Hum Desiderata'

Michael Stipe isn't waiting around. After decades as the voice of R.E.M., the Athens, Georgia icon is moving into solo territory with a debut album on the way — and he just dropped the first taste: "Hum Desiderata."

It's a significant moment. Stipe shaped alternative rock in the '80s and '90s, but this is his first real solo push. The new track gives us a window into what that sounds like when he's flying solo, unfettered from the band's sound. Whether he's doubling down on the experimental side or finding something completely different remains to be seen, but the fact that he's putting this out now matters.

A full album coming means we're about to get a clearer picture of who Stipe is as an artist without the R.E.M. machinery behind him. That's always interesting — sometimes liberating, sometimes revealing. Either way, the legend's not done yet.

Read the full story at Pitchfork → https://pitchfork.com/story/listen-to-michael-stipes-new-song-hum-desiderata/