Singer-songwriter Carly Simon is set to release her first album in two decades, marking a long-awaited return to recording with Comes in Waves, due on 14 August 2026.
The 82-year-old music icon has introduced the project with its lead single, Howl, a song she describes as an exploration of heartbreak, anger and ultimately forgiveness.
The album will be Simon’s first collection of new material since 2005’s Moonlight Serenade and arrives more than 50 years after she first emerged as one of the defining voices of the singer-songwriter movement.
Carly Simon explains the meaning behind Howl
According to Simon, Howl was written as a message to a friend dealing with the aftermath of a failed relationship.
The song explores the emotional fallout of betrayal before moving towards acceptance.
“Howl lives in that space between betrayal and forgiveness, where anger has to be voiced before it can be released.
“It’s about letting the frustration out, so it doesn’t sit and simmer. The song begins in anger, but it moves toward forgiveness and speaks to any situation where trust has been broken.”
The track’s lyrics encourage emotional release, with Simon singing:
“Howl like the wind/Roar like the river/Wail like the rain/Cry, shout, and shiver,”
before later declaring:
“Call love a liar.”
Comes in Waves was recorded at Martha’s Vineyard
Simon wrote and recorded the album at her studio on Martha’s Vineyard.
The project features nine newly written songs alongside two older compositions that she revisited and completed for the record.
The album also includes contributions from her children, Ben Taylor and Sally Taylor.
Sally Taylor additionally created the artwork for the release.
New album explores renewal and personal growth
According to Simon’s label, Comes in Waves centres on the theme of renewal and self-discovery.
A statement accompanying the album announcement describes the record as an artist continuing to evolve rather than revisiting past successes.
“Does not attempt to recreate the past.”
The statement adds that the album:
“Continues the conversation Simon has been having with her audience for decades, one grounded in truth, vulnerability, and a refusal to simplify emotion.”
It concludes by describing the project as:
“A reminder of an artist still fully engaged with her craft, still asking questions, and still finding new ways to articulate what it means to live, to love, and to let go.”
