Cass McCombs announces the reissue of his first three records — his debut EP Not The Way, and first two albums A and PREfection — out September 6th via 4AD, and the “As Paint on Fur Tour.” Remastered at Abbey Road, these records are finally back in print for the first time since their original release by Monitor Records and 4AD in the early 2000s. The reissues will be available worldwide digitally, on CD and pressed on black vinyl in their original sleeves with an OBI strip and new printed inner art.

Between the years 2002 and 2005, McCombs began the gradual process of unveiling his gifts to us. With the inaugural EP Not the Way (2002), the first full-length utterance A (2003), and the sophomore LP PREfection (2005), McCombs delivered a delicate and soulful jab-cross-right hook combo that gently knocked the underground back on its feet. In the years since, which have seen McCombs thrive and evolve as a songwriter, a musician, and a man, these foundational albums have only gained power with age. Taken as a group, they tell the story of one of the truest musical talents of the past couple decades, as he goes from nascent crooner to early maturity. As relevant, refreshing, and compulsively listenable in 2024 as they were in the early 2000s, Not the Way, A, and PREfection have been formative documents for fans and fellow musicians alike since their respective releases.

To celebrate the announcement, McCombs unveils a never heard before demo of PREfection’s “Sacred Heart,” alongside a new video filmed by the renowned skater Jerry Hsu. Additionally, McCombs will release a limited-edition cassette, 2000-2004 Demos, Live and Radio, via Orindal on September 6th.

Watch the Video for “Sacred Heart (Demo)”

Not the Way and A both possess a mood that was unique upon their release – music that compels the listener to breathe quietly, to pay attention, to become hypnagogic in a puff of narcotic lullaby. It wasn’t just bottled lightning, though. McCombs had been putting in the hours in the songwriting coal mine for a little more than a decade by the time Not the Way was recorded. By the time he’d composed such early gems as Not the Way’s “Opium Flower” and “So Damn Pure” or A’s “I Went to the Hospital” and “Meet Me Here at Dawn,” McCombs had located the rich lode he’s continued to mine since, and it comprises a unique alloy of rock roots, folk/protest songs, druggy paeans, even Motown and gospel.

PREfection, with its evolution in compositional craft, closed one chapter and opened another in McCombs’ work and life during a time that saw him venture forth from San Francisco to the nooks and crannies of Baltimore and New York City. Veering seamlessly between the hooky popsmithing of “Sacred Heart” or “City of Brotherly Love” and the moody dirges of “Cuckoo” or “Multiple Suns,” the entire album is a statement of intent that coalesces and builds upon the cornerstones of Not the Way and A.

This September, McCombs will embark on the “As Paint On Fur Tour,” taken from a lyric from Not the Way’s “So Damn Pure.” West Coast shows will be supported by Papercuts