WOODKID
“Horizons Into Battlegrounds”
NEWEST ADVANCE TRACK FROM S16
SOPHOMORE ALBUM OUT OCTOBER 16
AVAILABLE FOR DIGITAL & PHYSICAL PRE-ORDER NOW
woodkid.com
Woodkid has unveiled “Horizons Into Battlegrounds,” a third dimension of S16, his sophomore album out October 16 via Caroline Records in the U.S. and available for pre-order at: https://woodkid.lnk.to/S16_PreOrder
“Horizons Into Battlegrounds” is, in the words of Woodkid (a/k/a Yoann Lemoine), “a simple piano ballad which contrasts with the rest of the album’s sound. It’s an intimate, stripped-back track with a cry for help within the lyrics – it’s a tender loving embrace, a moment of calm amongst the chaos.”
That emotional range is made manifest in a stunning solo rendition of the song Woodkid performed exclusively for COLORS, which can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/ryXb_V71KKU
“Horizons Into Battlegrounds” has been preceded by two sonically divergent offerings from S16: First single and epic video “Goliath” materialized in April, its monolith groove serving as a vessel for questions regarding individual and collective responsibility for the state of the world. “Goliath” was quickly named one of TIME Magazine’s Best Songs of April, as well as one of ROLLING STONE’s Songs You Need To Know. “Pale Yellow” followed in June with a 180 degree swivel into introspective meditation on intimacy and struggles to overcome trials both mental and physical, and was lauded by UPROXX as “a promising taste of what’s to come from the long-awaited new album.”
As indicated across the musical and emotional spectrum of “Horizons Into Battlegrounds,” “Pale Yellow” and “Goliath,” S16 questions the notion of scale, from infinitely large to infinitely small, the balance of forces between human and industrial, and the idea of collective and individual responsibility for bringing a world to the verge of breakdown.
S16 was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, and other locales including Berlin, Paris, Los Angeles and Iceland, also calling upon Tokyo’s Suginami Junior Chorus to find just the right opening for one particular passage. Its name alluding to the chemical symbol and atomic number for sulphur in physics, S16 questions matter itself; what are our cells, our hearts made of? Where is the boundary between reality and fiction? Sulphur is, indeed, an essential element for living things, but liable to burst into flames. Like the ardent suffering stoked by music, which can then soothe, like being wrapped in a hug.
S16 is the follow-up to Woodkid’s 2013 debut The Golden Age, which sold nearly one million copies worldwide and was nominated for two GRAMMY Awards. In the time since The Golden Age was released, Woodkid has worked with Nicolas Ghesquière from Louis Vuitton, the New York City Ballet, Jonas Cuaron to write the original soundtrack of Desierto, and more. Dior Homme’s fall-winter 2013 collection, “A Soldier on My Own,” was inspired and soundtracked by The Golden Age’s “Iron,” named for a phrase in the song’s lyrics. More recently, in 2019, the second episode of Netflix’s monster hit series The Umbrella Academy featured another song from The Golden Age, “Run Boy Run,” both as soundtrack to a pivotal scene and as the episode’s title.
S16 will be available across digital and streaming platforms, with physical configurations including standard black vinyl and limited color vinyl 2LP editions, single CD, and a very limited Vinyl Box Edition (D2C only). Please visit woodkid.com and adaptiveminerals.com for further information and updates.