In 2005, Zach Braff won a Grammy for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture for his incredibly popular film Garden State. Braff told IGN that he essentially “made a mix CD with all of the music that I felt was scoring my life at the time I was writing the screenplay.” The original soundtrack, which features artists like Coldplay, The Shins, Simon and Garfunkel, and Iron and Wine sold over 1.3 million copies and has been ceritfied as platinum.

Braff is now looking to repeat his breakout success with his new movie (and soundtrack) Wish I Was Here, the follow-up to Garden State, which will be released on July 18. Braff raised over $3 million on Kickstarter to fund the new movie, and the rights to the songs on it’s highly anticipated soundtrack. The soundtrack will feature four brand new songs written specifically for the new movie. One of the songs is by Bon Iver.

Mary Ramos, the music supervisor for Wish I Was Here, flew to Wisconsin to show a rough-cut of the film to Justin Vernon and told NPR that by the time she left his house, him and his brother were already recording the first version of the now-titled “Heavenly Father” which will be on the soundtrack.

“Heavenly Father” opens with a choir of looped electronic drones that continue throughout the entire song. Vernon then adds his strong voice, his unique falsetto harmony, and minimalistic percussion that gives the song that classic “Bon Iver feel”.

Fans were ecstatic when the song was posted to Bon Iver‘s facebook page, as it’s been just over three years since the band’s most recent release, their successful self-titled album Bon Iver. Vernon has been busy with his side projects Volcano Choir and The Shouting Matches, which has limited Bon Iver live shows and studio releases.

The Wish I Was Here soundtrack will also feature artists like Paul Simon, The Head and the Heart, Cat Power & Coldplay, and of course, The Shins.

To listen to “Heavenly Father” head on over to NPR.

 

[Via NPR]