Nickel Creek's Sean Watkins and Switchfoot's Jon Foreman

Call it Pop-Grass: Fiction Family is a new cross-genre collaboration between religious power-pop rock band Switchfoot's Jon Foreman and bluegrass-tinged acoustic act Nickel Creek's Sean Watkins.

The project's self-titled debut album, written and recorded by Watkins and Foreman at their homes in San Diego, is set to arrive via ATO Records January 20. The two musicians, who met when their bands shared a bill a few years ago, trade lead vocals on the new set, which also features an eclectic array of instrumentation, including baritone ukulele, piano, organ, mandolin, and steel guitar. Nickel Creek fiddle player Sara Watkins adds her expertise to a few tracks.

"The album was recorded and written in parts," Foreman tells SPIN.com. "Because Nickel Creek and Switchfoot are both hard working, touring acts, we were rarely home from tour at the same time. Consequently the tracks were passed back and forth between Sean and I. Whoever was home from tour would chip away at the songs with no real expectations at all, mainly just for ourselves and for the love of the song I suppose. We came up with a few cowboy rules for the project: No double tracking. No pussyfooting. No tuning of vocals." 

Fiction Family tracklisting:
1. "When She’s Near"
2. "Out of Order"
3. "Not Sure"
4. "Betrayal"
5. "Elements Combined"
6. "War in My Blood"
7. "Throw It Away"
8. "Closer Than You Think"
9. "Please Don’t Call It Love"
10. "Mostly"
11. "We Ride"
12. "Look For My Baby"