Angelo De Augustine’s new single “Santa Barbara” picks up where last year’s studio album, Tomb, produced by Thomas Bartlett (Doveman), left off. Returning to New York City in the fall of 2019 for a short stint, the Thousand Oaks, California-based songwriter capped off a remarkable year of personal and professional growth by continuing to write new music, while also mastering digital production.

“Santa Barbara,” produced by De Augustine and featuring Sufjan Stevens who contributes vocals and guitar, showcases the evolution of an already auspicious catalog hinted at on Tomb (which now counts The 1975’s Matty Healy and Taylor Swift amongst its admirers). It also marks Angelo and Sufjan’s first official studio collaboration. 

“All my life has been a surprise,” De Augustine sings over a lonely Guilele arpeggio that builds into a gentle wave of acoustic arrangements. By the song’s chorus, De Augustine’s multi-layered voice keeps his own company in a time of uncertainty: “Oh my love I’m lost again / though I try when will I win?” With love remaining a constant source of assurance (“All this life has been a disguise / except for the hand in mine”), “Santa Barbara” becomes a prayer of hope and love for those that are listening in their own loneliness.