WATCH: Shakey Graves Unveils Intimate New Video for “On My Own”

Shakey Graves is peeling things back to their most vulnerable core with his new single, “On My Own,” (watch above) the latest preview from his upcoming album Fondness, Etc., arriving May 15 via Dualtone Records.

The track—and its equally stripped-down visual—offers a raw, unfiltered look at the emotional weight of distance, separation, and the quiet unraveling that can happen inside a relationship. It’s a deeply personal-feeling piece, even if, as Graves explains, it’s drawn from a broader mix of real-life experiences rather than one specific story.

Partially recorded on his porch, “On My Own” embraces imperfection in the most intentional way. Ambient sounds—birds, wind, even subtle tempo shifts—remain intact, giving the song a lived-in, almost documentary-like feel. Add in his signature DIY “couch drums,” and the result is something that feels less like a studio recording and more like a moment captured in time.

The song is one of the more technically intricate on the album, despite its laid-back surface. Graves leaned into unconventional recording techniques, using microphone distance and vocal placement to create the sensation of an internal monologue—an effect that carries through to the visual presentation as well.

Lyrically, “On My Own” explores the tension between connection and independence, touching on themes of divorce, emotional drift, and the often conflicting voice that insists you might be better off alone. It’s reflective, slightly surreal, and unmistakably human.

The track sets the tone for Fondness, Etc., Graves’ fifth studio album and a return to making music on his own terms. Recorded over the course of a month on vintage tape machines in his home studio, the project leans into lo-fi textures and folk-rooted intimacy. Across nine songs, the album wrestles with growth, identity, and the push-and-pull between who we’ve been and who we’re becoming.

For Graves, the analog process was key. Limiting the endless options of digital recording forced him to commit—to sounds, to moments, and even to imperfections that might otherwise be erased. Those “mistakes,” from background noise to off-the-cuff performances, ultimately became part of the album’s emotional fabric.

It’s a full-circle moment for the Austin-based artist, who first built his reputation as a one-man band with a guitar and suitcase kick drum. That same DIY spirit runs through Fondness, Etc., grounding it in authenticity and quiet emotional clarity.