Michael Stipe talks first new music since REM's split • News • DIY Magazine

Micheal Stipe has spoken about his first new music since REM’s split.

The former frontman has soundtracked film The Cold Lands, directed by friend Tom Gilroy.

“This is, in fact, the first thing that I’ve done musically since REM disbanded,” he explains to Salon. “So, of course, I wanted it to be for something that meant a lot to me. That was important. I knew I wasn’t going to sing, so that made it easier.

“This was more like an oral painting in a way because I didn’t have to use my voice. I didn’t have the pressure of writing a lyric or expressing a feeling or emotion through my voice. I could do it through instruments.”

Speaking about what he’ll get up to in the future, Stipe suggests all bets as to what form his future output takes are off. “It’s like photography for me right now,” he says. “I think photography at one point represented something very different from what it represents for me in 2014. In 1975, photography was something very, very special to me. It still is, but it’s become a means to an end or a part of something much bigger. So I think music will most definitely be a part of my future output. I hope it is. But it’s going to run through a very different circuit, I would expect. I love music. I think it’s an immensely moving form for me, but how do I apply that to where I am now?”

“This is not what people want to hear from me. But that’s want I want to offer.”

Tags: R.E.M., News