The Shins perform at The Anthem in DC on Aug. 19, 2022. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)
James Mercer of The Shins called upon folk trio Joseph to join his band on stage. The three sisters stepped gently into an accommodating space to his left and began to harmonize through the soothing yet vaguely haunting vocables that launch the live rendition of “New Slang.”
Performing at The Anthem recently, James turned his sharp eyes to the audience and began to strum his guitar. He eased into the lyrics of “New Slang,” which hails from the 2001 debut album of The Shins — Oh, Inverted World. Although the song’s narrator is lost and unhappy, there is something very reassuring in Mercer’s comforting voice and unharrowed stage presence.
