On The Late Show With Stephen Colbert last night, Michael Stipe returned to the studio to chat and perform an unreleased song called “The Rest of Ever.” The track is set to appear on his debut solo album, which, he revealed, is coming at the end of this year. Watch the performance and the pair’s conversation below.

From an assessment of Stipe’s fecund beard, the two moved on to the subject of ship captains and sea shanties. It turns out that Stipe is writing one—with some typically zany lyrics—as part of a song about a tree that hears itself for the first time, via a MIDI recording. “My friend recorded a tree in my backyard in Georgia and played it back to itself,” he elaborated. “It sounds like Daft Punk.” OK! They also discussed the legacy of R.E.M., the band’s brief reunion at a tribute concert by Michael Shannon and Jason Narducy, and the question of who would play Stipe in a biopic. He likes the idea of Billie Eilish; David Cross, not so much.

Revisit Ryan Dombal’s 5-10-15-20 interview Michael Stipe on the Music That Made Him.