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Several years ago, Grant-Lee Phillips found himself wandering the elegant halls of the Norton Simon Art Museum in Pasadena, California. Amid a collection of highly detailed Indian paintings, one piece stood out. He jotted a note in his notebook, struck by both the imagery and the ominous title. That entry would eventually inspire the name of his 12th solo album: In the Hour of Dust.

"A common theme throughout Indian poetry and painting," Phillips explains, "is this concept of 'the hour of cow dust.' It's that moment when cows are led home and kick up dust; a cue to prepare the lamps. Night is about to fall."

While Phillips doesn't shy away from today's larger societal issues, In the Hour of Dust is an intimate, self-produced album. It's stripped-down musical presentation and often autobiographical lyrics reflect personal reckonings, all set "against this larger discordant backdrop."

Like many, Phillips grapples with staying afloat in the chaos of modern life. For him, songwriting is a way to push back against the encroaching dark - to light the lamps and find a path forward, for both himself and his listeners.

"We can focus on all the various freedoms being threatened," Phillips says, "things we might've taken for granted a year or two ago. But eventually, it comes back to very human, primal things. I don't see songs of love and songs of protest as that far apart. It's all about recognizing the value of connection in a disconnected time."