LISTEN: Big Red Machine share new Taylor Swift collaboration 'Renegade'

Collaborative outfit Big Red Machine have shared their latest single, ‘Renegade’ and an accompanying music video featuring Taylor Swift.

‘Renegade’ is the third single from Big Red Machine’s upcoming second studio album How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last? The group consisting of Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon released ‘The Ghost of Cincinnati’ on June 30th and ‘Latter Days’ featuring Anaïs Mitchell on June 29th.

‘Renegade’ was recorded at the Kitty Committee studio in Los Angeles in March 2021. It was the same week Swift and Dessner won the Grammy for Album of the Year for folklore. Swift and Vernon also worked together on ‘evermore’ from Swift’s album of the same title and ‘exile’ from folklore. Swift will also feature on ‘Birch’ from the new album.

“While we were making folklore and evermore last year, Taylor and I sometimes talked about experimenting and writing songs together some day for Big Red Machine,” said Dessner, founder of The National, about the track.

“Making music with your friends just to make it - that's how Big Red Machine started and has grown -- and that's how 'Renegade' came about too,” he added.

Dessner’s brother Bryce provided strings on ‘Renegade’ as Jason Treuting laid down the drums. Bon Iver mastermind Justin Vernon also provided vocals on the new track. The video was directed by Michael Brown.

Big Red Machine announced the release of their forthcoming album How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last? on Tuesday, June 27th. The album will drop on the 27th of August via Vernon and the Dessner brothers’ label, 37d03d and independent label Jagjaguwar.

The upcoming sophomore LP is currently available for pre-order and includes a number of exciting features: Irish musician Lisa Hannigan, Ben Howard, Fleet Foxes, This Is The Kit, Naeem, Sharon Van Etten, Shara Nova, La Force and Swift all appear on the album.

“That’s what makes it special,” said Dessner. “With everyone that's on this record, there's an openness, a creative generosity and an emotional quality that connects it all together.”

Watch the video for ‘Renegade’ below.

How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last tracklist:

Latter Days (feat. Anaïs Mitchell)
Reese
Phoenix (feat. Fleet Foxes and Anaïs Mitchell)
Birch (feat. Taylor Swift)
Renegade (feat. Taylor Swift)
The Ghost of Cincinnati
Hoping Then
Mimi (feat. Ilsey)
Easy to Sabotage (feat. Naeem)
Hutch (feat. Sharon Van Etten, Lisa Hannigan, and Shara Nova [My Brightest Diamond])
8:22am (feat. La Force)
Magnolia
June’s a River (feat. Ben Howard and This Is The Kit)
Brycie
New Auburn (feat. Anaïs Mitchell)