The Beast In Its Tracks

"The Beast in Its Tracks" is the seventh full-length studio album, by American singer-songwriter Josh Ritter. It was released on March 5, 2013 on the Pytheas Recordings label. Maddy Costa writes "In the three years since Josh Ritter released "So Runs the World Away", the singer-songwriter has divorced, published his first novel, fallen in love, had a run-in with death and become a father. The Beast in Its Tracks is a pause for reflection in a life lived at triple-speed; written in the midst of his separation from singer Dawn Landes, it's a gentle meditation on what it is to be rejected, to feel lonely yet feel warmth towards the world outside oneself. It's a simpler album than World and its predecessor, Historical Conquests, the lyrics less elaborate, the music lilting and restrained. But Ritter's directness is emotionally devastating, particularly when he seeks out the bright side of divorce, with generosity in Hopeful, and bittersweet honesty in New Lover. Kindness makes him soppy in Joy to You Baby; in the haunted shiver of Third Arm and the troubled lullaby of Nightmares, fragility is Ritter's greatest strength".