Former R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe teamed up with Big Red Machine for a new single called “No Time For Love Like Now.” This is the first song from Big Red Machine since their 2018 debut. Big Red Machine originally started working on this song for their own project and it eventually made its way into becoming a collaboration with Michael Stipe.
They shared the behind the scenes story on Instagram:
"I've spent the last year working on new Big Red Machine music with@blobtowerand an ever-growing collective of friends. There are now more than 20 songs in progress. I'm excited to share the first song of this new batch, No Time For Love Like Now, which is a collaboration with a longtime hero and friend Michael Stipe. The last line of "People Lullabye" from the first@bigredmachineadjvrecord is "I miss Mike Stipe." So somehow Michael already felt connected in my mind to this music. It's quite surreal now to actually have written and finished a song together. I wrote this music last spring and Justin,@floortomjtbatesand@bradleywcooklater helped me develop it with@heyjonlowI shared it with Michael last Fall and we got together to arrange and record this song in November in Brooklyn. Michael kept working on the vocals with@le_master_andyin Athens and we ultimately changed the key and re-recorded elements in isolation in the past few months. My brother@brycedessnerorchestrated the song recently (parts recorded remotely by@kresnick,@kiyukiyukiyukiand@claricejensen) and I'm thankful we can finally share it with you now. Michael wrote the lyrics last year before the COVID epidemic -- but as social distancing and self-isolation descended, they felt as though they were written about this time. We're hopeful the message of the song will resonate now. Please visit the link in my bio to stream the song and check out No Time For Love Like Now t-shirts and totes -- all proceeds benefit the@eji_organd the COVID-19 Protest Relief Fund."