Almost 40 years after teaming up with some buddies to form a little group called R.E.M. and eight years since he and those buddies broke up R.E.M., Michael Stipe has decided to break out on his own and try making some music by himself. As reported by Pitchfork, Stipe announced today that he’s going to release his “first solo work” this weekend, with all of the proceeds going to climate activism group Extinction Rebellion. Stipe says he feels “hopeful—optimistic, even” that humans can do something about climate change if we actually try, and he’s using this song as a way to do what he can to make that happen. The song is called “Your Capricious Soul,” and as Pitchfork points out, Stipe actually played it at a live show earlier this year when he opened for Patti Smith in New York.
If that video isn’t good enough, an official “Your Capricious Soul” video is coming from director Sam Taylor-Johnson. The song will be available from Stipe’s website on October 5. Also, if R.E.M. and charity are your jam, the band itself also recently shared an unreleased track to help the victims of Hurricane Dorian.