Preview She & Him’s ‘Melt Away: A Tribute to Brian Wilson’ Album With “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”

Melt Away: A Tribute to Brian Wilson is a reverent celebration of the Beach Boys legend from Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward of She & Him.

The duo recently announced the project, a loving ode to Wilson, and this week shared a preview in the form of their rendition of “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”:

Scheduled for a July 22 release, the LP will be the first from the beloved duo in six years, and was first previewed with “Darlin’,” a classic of Wilson‘s catalog that appeared in its original version as a hit single from the Beach Boys’ 1967 record Wild Honey:

Melt Away: A Tribute to Brian Wilson will find She & Him diving deep into Wilson’s untouchable songwriting history, with the man himself even appearing with Deschanel and Ward on one song, “Do It Again.”

Click here to pre-order Melt Away: A Tribute to Brian Wilson on CD from our Rock Cellar Store
Click here to pre-order Melt Away: A Tribute to Brian Wilson on LP from our Rock Cellar Store

“In the spring of 2020, we started a list of our favorite Brian songs — a very long list,” said the duo in a statement. “We chose songs without any regard to their chart performance. The obscure ones hit us just as hard as the more popular songs — and all are ripe for re-imagining, re-interpreting, and re-inventing. Brian writes songs of beauty and loneliness and vulnerability better than anyone — and by sequencing them next to popular songs of confidence and love and fun, it creates a more complete picture of life on earth.”

Added Wilson: “Zooey and Matt did such mind-blowing versions of our songs. The harmonies are beautiful and right on. I love this record!”

The detailed track listing:

1. “Darlin’” – (Wilson-Love) – from the Beach Boys 1967 LP Wild Honey
2. “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” – (Wilson-Asher-Love) – from the Beach Boys 1966 LP Pet Sounds
3. “Til I Die” – (Brian Wilson) – from the Beach Boys 1971 LP Surf’s Up
4. “Deidre” – (Johnson-Wilson) – from the Beach Boys 1970 LP Sunflower
5. “Melt Away” – (Brian Wilson) – from Brian Wilson’s 1988 self-titled solo LP
6. “Good To My Baby” – (Wilson-Love) – from the 1965 LP The Beach Boys Today!
7. “Don’t Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)” – (Wilson-Asher) – from the 1966 LP Pet Sounds
8. “Don’t Worry Baby” – (Wilson-Christian) – from the Beach Boys 1964 LP Shut Down Volume 2
9. “This Whole World” – (Wilson) – from the Beach Boys 1970 LP Sunflower
10. “Kiss Me, Baby” – (Wilson-Love) – from the 1965 LP The Beach Boys Today!
11. “Do It Again” featuring Brian Wilson – (Wilson-Love) – from the Beach Boys 1968 LP Friends
12. “Heads You Win, Tails I Lose” – (Wilson-Usher) – from the Beach Boys 1962 LP Surfin’ Safari
13. “Please Let Me Wonder” – (Wilson-Love) – from 1965 LP the Beach Boys Today!
14. “Meant For You” – (Wilson-Love) – from the Beach Boys 1968 LP Friends”

She & Him also have some Melt Away tour dates coming up this summer:

6/13 Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre
6/14 Salt Lake City, UT @ Red Butte Garden Amphitheatre
6/16 Forest Grove, OR @ Grand Lodge Hotel and Property
6/17 Woodinville, WA @ Chateau Ste. Michelle Winery
6/18 Vancouver, BC @ Vogue Theatre
6/20 Jacksonville, OR @ Britt Festival Pavilion
6/22 Paso Robles, CA @ Vina Robles Amphitheatre
6/23 Saratoga, CA @ The Mountain Winery
6/24 San Diego, CA @ Humphrey’s
6/25 Los Angeles, CA @ The Ford
9/9 Vienna, VA @ Wolf Trap
9/16 Grand Rapids, MI @ Frederik Meijer Gardens