Searows has released “In Violet,” the final single from his forthcoming album Death in the Business of Whaling, out this Friday via Last Recordings On Earth. The song closes out the rollout with a sense of hushed finality, leaning into the quiet, inward-looking songwriting that has become a defining feature of Alec Duckart’s work.
Duckart, a Portland-raised singer-songwriter, first emerged with 2022’s Guard Dog, a self-recorded debut made almost entirely in his bedroom. The album circulated widely through online communities and word of mouth, earning a devoted following and praise for its emotional precision and restraint. Since then, Searows has drawn comparisons to artists working at the intersection of indie folk and ambient songwriting, with an emphasis on mood over momentum.
“In Violet” reflects a growing interest in scale and abstraction. While the song centers on disappointment and the feeling of falling short of one’s own projected self, Duckart frames it as something closer to myth than memoir. “In my head, this song is visually a very dramatic tale,” he says. “I imagine it as this fantastical epic that lives up to the weight and the drama that those emotions feel like they have in real life.” The result is a track that feels simultaneously intimate and distant, its emotional core obscured by atmosphere rather than spelled out.
Death in the Business of Whaling marks a shift in Duckart’s working process. Instead of recording alone at home, he tracked the album in a converted horse barn outside Seattle, collaborating with producer Trevor Spencer (Father John Misty, Beach House, Mary Lattimore). The setting allowed for a broader sonic palette, with more attention paid to space, texture, and the way songs unfold over time.
Lyrically, the album moves away from direct autobiography toward something more symbolic. Duckart has described the songs as a kind of folklore—less concerned with specific events than with emotional and psychological states. Themes of ego, trauma, love, and fate recur throughout the record, often presented obliquely, as if filtered through memory or dream logic.
Following a run of in-store performances tied to the album’s release, Searows will embark on an extensive 2026 tour across Europe, the U.K., and North America. With Death in the Business of Whaling, Duckart appears less interested in documenting his life than in translating its emotional residue—offering songs that invite interpretation rather than explanation.
Tour Dates:
Tickets from searows.com
03/24 – Nijmegen, NL @ Doornroosje
03/25 – Amsterdam, NL @ Tolhuistuin
03/26 – Brussels, BE @ Botanique Rotonde
03/28 – Rotterdam, NL @ Rotown
03/30 – Paris, FR @ La Bellevilloise
04/01 – Brighton, UK @ Chalk
04/02 – Bristol, UK @ Trinity Centre
04/03 – Leeds, UK @ Irish Centre
04/05 – Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street
04/06 – Glasgow, UK @ Saint Luke’s
04/08 – Manchester, UK @ Academy 2
04/10 – London, UK @ KOKO
04/23 – Dallas, TX @ Deep Ellum Art Co.
04/24 – Austin, TX @ Scoot Inn
04/25 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall (Upstairs)
04/28 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
04/30 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement East
05/01 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
05/02 – Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry
05/05 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
05/06 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall
05/08 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
05/09 – Boston, MA @ Royale
05/11 – Montreal, QC @ Le Studio TD
05/12 – Toronto, ON @ Danforth Music Hall
05/14 – Columbus, OH @ A&R Music Bar
05/15 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
05/16 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
05/18 – Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall Ballroom
06/09 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
06/12 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre
06/14 – San Diego, CA @ Music Box
06/16 – Phoenix, AZ @ Crescent Ballroom
06/18 – Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf
06/19 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
06/21 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Soundwell
06/22 – Boise, ID @ Shrine Social Club
06/24 – Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre
06/26 – Seattle, WA @ Neptune
06/27 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
