WATCH: The Salt Collective Shares ‘Cloud to Cloud’

New album, A Brief History of Blindness, out Nov. 21

October 7, 2025October 8, 2025 Ron Hart 0 Comments A Brief History of Blindness, Cloud to Cloud, Matthew Caws, Propeller Sound Recordings, Stéphane Schück, The Salt Collective

Matthew Caws stars in the video for The Salt Collective’s latest single “Cloud to Cloud.” (Image: YouTube)

French songwriter-guitarist Stéphane Schück’s international collaborative project, The Salt Collective, is back with the follow-up to their critically lauded 2023 debut Life.

And for this second full-length offering, A Brief History of Blindness, not only does the esteemed Chris Stamey return as a key collaborator, but they are joined by an all-star cast that includes Aimee Mann, Mike Mills (R.E.M.), Andy Partridge (XTC), and Matthew Caws (Nada Surf) among others (writing credits and list of featured performers below).

While the Salt Collective’s first outing was recorded remotely across multiple continents, A Brief History of Blindness features the core musicians gathered in the same space interacting together in real time. The bulk of the music was laid down by Rob Ladd (The Connells) on drums, Gene Holder (The dB’s) on bass, Stéphane Schück on guitars & sound design, Mitch Easter (Let’s Active) on guitars, and Wes Lachot on organ, piano, and Nord. These full-band sessions took place at the Fidelitorium (Kernersville, NC), with other work at Studio Ferber (Paris), and various home studios. The album was produced by Chris Stamey and mastered by Dave McNair.

Rock & Roll Globe is honored to premiere the latest single from A Brief History of Blindness, the euphoric “Cloud to Cloud” featuring vocals by Mr. Caws, no doubt one of the album’s MVPs with two other key appearances here and a returning champ from the first LP.

The Salt Collective A Brief History of Blindness, Propeller Sound Recordings 2025

“Last spring Stéphane Schück and Chris Stamey of the Salt Collective asked me to add words and melody to a song that Stéphane had written, just as I had for their debut,” Caws tells us. “Chris would again be producing, while this time the album would be engineered by Mitch Easter at his Fidelitorium studio in Winston-Salem. By wild coincidence I was attending a family reunion in the western part of the state on the very weekend they were recording the track, now called ‘Cloud to Cloud.’ I made the two-hour drive on Sunday morning, said my hellos and was handed a guitar, the red ‘record’ light coming on just minutes later. Along with Stéphane and Chris, the other players were Rob Ladd from the Connells on drums and Gene Holder from the dBs on bass. After sitting in on one more track, I was out the door in a couple of hours. It’s an honor to be part of this extraordinary collection of people, all their own unique flavors but with a mutual affection for impressionistic pop.”

For the song’s video, which you can chwck out below, Caws says, “They asked me to get myself filmed pretending to drive a car, so I bought an old steering wheel from a friend for £20.”

“Working on this song with Matthew and Chris was an incredible experience,” adds Shück. “It was like watching a child grow up — there was a turbulent teenage, then a wise maturity. The chorus is a call for serenity!”

A Brief History of Blindness is being released on 12” LP vinyl, CD, digital download and streaming services by Propeller Sound Recordings Nov 21.

Pre-order here.

Track Listing:

1. “A Brief History of Blindness” (S. Schück/L. Blakey) feat. Lynn Blakey

2. “Waiting for the End of Time” (S. Schück/C. Stamey/A. Partridge) feat. Jason Falkner

3. “Cloud to Cloud” (S. Schück/M. Caws) feat. Matthew Caws

4. “You Swallowed the Sun” (C. Stamey/A. Partridge) feat. Chris Stamey & Pat Sansone

5. “The Waiting Game” (S. Schück/C. Stamey) feat. Aimee Mann

6. “In the Shadow of the Moon” (S. Schück/L. Blakey) feat. Lynn Blakey & Mike Mills

7. “So Sad (Don’t Let Go)” (S. Schück/C. Stamey) feat. Matthew Caws

8. “Ex Post Facto Kids” (S. Schück/M. Easter) feat. Mitch Easter

9. “How We Breathe” (S. Schück/L. Blakey) feat. Lynn Blakey, Matthew Caws & Kimberley Rew