Tomorrow, Nov. 11, the  Emmy-nominated singer-songwriter and musician, The White Buffalo, also known as Jake Smith, will return with his eighth studio album, Year Of The Dark Horse. The baritone folk singer from Oregon is known for his concept albums, and his latest effort explores one lunar year in one man’s life – through which Smith abandons his usual acoustic inclinations.

The Year Of The Dark Horse was recorded at Neon Cross Studios in Nashville, Tenn., with Jay Joyce, who is known for his work with Brothers Osborne, Fidlar, Eric Church and more. Bassist, keyboard player, and guitarist Christopher Hoffee and drummer Matt Lynott added to the recordings. Smith also pushed the potential of the album by creating a visual representation of his sonic tale with a film titled The White Buffalo: Year Of The Dark Horse. The film sees four different directors taking on each of the 12 songs on Smith’s album, perhaps each representing a different season.

Today we premiere “Kingdom For A Fool” off the upcoming album just a day ahead of its full release. The track steadily saunters forward with a deeply American confidence. Lyrically Smith explores the absurd with a pairing of feelings of monotony with the call of wanderlust. The video that comes with the track sees Smith watching a TV show on his own life before he’s wandering the streets in his tighty whities.

“Our hero finds himself trapped in the many cages of existence,” Smith said of the song to Relix. “A shit apartment, a stagnant 9 to 5 cubicle of monotony, being one of the herd, following, losing, no way out… Wishing for a better life, convinced that nothing will change. The video takes an almost absurd comedic take on this fool’s quest for simple pleasures in an attempt to escape the mundane.”

The White Buffalo is currently on a fall U.S. tour and will announce new dates for early 2023 soon, and they’re also slated to open for Bruce Springsteen in 2023 when he performs in Italy.

Listen to the premiere of The White Buffalo’s “Kingdom For A Fool” below.