Sproule announced her return to touring, after birth of her daughter in 2016, with "The Gold String," released 24 March 2017. The LP contains "North American music with weirdo roots" and was recorded in three Canadian provinces — Yukon, Ontario, and Nova Scotia — and the Shetland Islands. It features backing from "Toronto dream-poppers" Bernice and Sproule's husband Paul Curreri. The idea for the album began with a stay in remote the Shetland islands off Scotland "when she first started following a thread."