The Avalanches at the MTV Europe Music Awards, November 2011, Frankfurt, Germany. Photo: Anthony Harvey/Getty Images

For years now, the Avalanches have teased us with the prospect of a follow up album to their beloved 2000 debut Since I Left You. We’ve been placated with shrouded singles that “may or may not be by the Avalanches,” and some mixes they ultimately discredit from their discographies. Finally, it seems, they’ve quit playing coy by posting a demo on their website, and randomly enough, it features David Berman of the Silver Jews reading poetry. The lone musical element on this spoken word track is a faint banjo in the background, unless you consider the cadences of Berman’s monologue musical, which they very much are.

Titled “A Cowboy Overflow of the Heart,” the song charts the story of a lonesome traveler navigating “the obscure strategies of wildlife,” a seat belt being only thing that’s hugged him in weeks. Note that the band stated this is just a demo and it’s a mellow avant-garde track compared to the communal, ultraviolet-imbued projects of before. But still, it’s the most solid hint we’ve had so far that a second album is on the way. [Via Pitchfork/Stream here.]