You might call American Soft, the latest release from Chris Staples (formerly of Twothirtyeight and presently Discover America), the sleeper hit record of the late summer.  Funded by a Kickstarter campaign in 2011, it’s all kinds of mysterious and reminds us that there are still well-versed songwriters out there doing their thing.

The newly released video for Hold Onto Something was directed by Spencer Gentz. He asked the stars of what feels like a weird little short to memorize and recite the song’s lyrics at triple speed to create a trans-like delivery. We dig it.

Staples will tour with Manchester Orchestra this fall. The following dates have been announced:

10/31/14 – Memphis, TN – New Daisy Theatre
11/04/14 – Austin, TX – Scoot Inn
11/06/14 – Mesa, AZ – Mesa Arts Center
11/07/14 – Los Angeles, CA – Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever
11/08/14 – West Hollywood, CA – Troubadour
12/03/14 – Chicago, IL – Irish American Heritage Center
12/06/14 – Philadelphia, PA – Temple Performing Arts Center
12/07/14 – New Haven, CT – Center Church on the Green
12/08/14 – Somerville, MA – Arts At The Armory
12/09/14 – Brooklyn, NY – The Bell House
12/11/14 – Charleston, SC – Memminger Auditorium
12/12/14 – Durham, NC – Hayti Heritage Center
12/13/14 – McMinnville, TN – Volcano Room of Cumberland Cavern
**All Dates With Manchester Orchestra