The Decemberists release first new song in two years for Wildwood film

• 

  The Decemberists released “The Better Part of Bravery,” their first new song in more than two years.

• 

  The song was made for the end credits of Wildwood, a stop-motion animated film based on Colin Meloy’s 2011 debut novel.

• 

  Meloy said director Travis Knight asked him years ago to write the song, and that the project let him return to the world of Wildwood in a different way.

• 

  The Wildwood soundtrack, which includes the song and an original score by Dario Marianelli, was released on Decca on October 9, 2026.

• 

  Wildwood is scheduled to open in theaters on October 23, following a world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 11.

Who

The Decemberists and frontman Colin Meloy

What

The band released “The Better Part of Bravery,” a song for the Wildwood film’s end credits.

When

October 9, 2026

Where

The song appears in the end credits of the animated film Wildwood.

Why

It was written for the film, which adapts Meloy’s 2011 debut novel.

This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.