Category Archives: Press Releases

ARCADE FIRE: ALBUM, WE, #1 BILLBOARD ALBUM SALES IN THE U.S.

ARCADE FIRE 
WE 

#1 BILLBOARD ALBUM SALES IN THE U.S. 
#1 TOP ROCK ALBUM, #1 TOP ALTERNATIVE, #1 VINYL SALES 

#1 ALBUM IN THE UK, IRELAND & THE NETHERLANDS 
TOP 5 ALBUM SALES IN CANADA, BELGIUM, FRANCE, GERMANY & SWITZERLAND 

MULTIPLE SOLD OUT SHOWS WORLDWIDE
2ND NIGHTS ADDED BY POPULAR DEMAND 

WE OUT NOW ON COLUMBIA RECORDS

Photo credit: María José Govea

Arcade Fire’s “new 40-minute opus of intimate depth and profound candor” (VARIETY) has stormed the charts to bring home the #1 on Billboard’s Top U.S. Albums Sales, #1 in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands, plus Top 5 positions in Canada, Belgium, France, Germany and Switzerland. The album has also topped the U.S. Rock, Alternative and Vinyl Billboard charts. 

Arcade Fire’s triumphant release week saw the band return to Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and a special performance at the 51st Annual JUNO Awards. At the galaxy wide unveiling of the first ever images of the monster black hole Sagittarius A* by the European Southern Observatory, Win Butler and Régine Chassagne performed their own gentle giant  “End Of The Empire IV (Sagittarius A).” 

WE’s release coincided with the announcement of Arcade Fire’s autumn world tour and a frenzy of excitement from fans resulting in several shows selling out within minutes. Following a triumphant run of surprise shows that “brought New York City back to life” (SPIN), the WE world tour marks the long-awaited “poignant return” (Pitchfork) of the full production Arcade Fire experience to global stages, launching in Dublin on Tuesday, 30th August and running through 1st December in Toronto. The UK leg of the WE tour – featuring special guest Feist – will kick off in Birmingham on 2nd September. North America will be treated to very special guest Beck playing a nightly acoustic set, starting 28th October in Washington D.C.

For tour tickets and further information, visit www.arcadefire.com

Arcade Fire has partnered with PLUS1 (http://www.plus1.org) so that $1/£1/€1 per ticket goes to KANPE (http://www.kanpe.org), and their work bringing support to the most vulnerable communities in Haiti.

ARCADE FIRE
WE
Tour Dates 2022

08/30/22 – Dublin, IE – 3Arena *
08/31/22 – Dublin, IE – 3Arena *
09/02/22 – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena Birmingham *
09/03/22 – Manchester, UK – AO Arena *
09/05/22 – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro *
09/08/22 – London, UK – O2 Arena *
09/11/22 – Lille, FR – Zenith *
09/12/22 – Antwerp, BE – Sportpaleis *
09/14/22 – Cologne, DE – Lanxess Arena *
09/15/22 – Paris, FR – Accor Arena *
09/17/22 – Milan, IT – Mediolanum Forum *
09/18/22 – Munich, DE – Olympiahalle *
09/21/22 – Madrid, ES – WiZink Center *
09/22/22 – Lisbon, PT – Campo Pequeno *
09/23/22 – Lisbon, PT – Campo Pequeno *
09/25/22 – Bordeaux, FR – Arkea Arena *
09/26/22 – Nantes, FR – Zenith *
09/28/22 – Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome *
09/29/22 – Berlin, DE – Mercedes Benz Arena *
10/01/22 – Warsaw, PL – Torwar *
10/28/22 – Washington, DC – The Anthem ^ (Sold Out)
10/29/22 – Washington, DC – The Anthem ^
11/01/22 – Camden, NJ – Waterfront Music Pavilion ^
11/04/22 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center ^
11/08/22 – Boston, MA – MGM Fenway Music Hall ^ (Sold Out)
11/09/22 – Boston, MA – MGM Fenway Music Hall ^
11/10/22 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena ^
11/12/22 – Chicago, IL – United Center ^
11/13/22 – Minneapolis, MN – The Armory ^
11/16/22 – Los Angeles, CA – The Kia Forum ^
11/19/22 – San Francisco, CA – Bill Graham Civic Auditorium ^ (Sold Out)
11/20/22 – San Francisco, CA – Bill Graham Civic Auditorium ^
11/22/22 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena ^
11/25/22 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena ^
11/27/22 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place ^
12/01/22 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena ^

* with special guest Feist
^ with special guest Beck (acoustic)

GHOST ANNOUNCE NORTH AMERICAN 2022 TOUR

GHOST
IMPERATOUR
NORTH AMERICAN ARENA TOUR

Featuring Special Guests Mastodon

Tickets On Sale May 20 at 10am Local Time at 
https://found.ee/Ghost_Tour

​​“Call Me Little Sunshine” #1 at Rock Radio

New Ghost Webisode Chapter 11: Family Dinner Live Now at https://found.ee/Ghost_Chapter11

Children of North America, rejoice… GHOST will once again bring the “euphoric spectacle” (ROLLING STONE) of its live ritual to North America for the next leg of its globally dominating IMPERATOUR. The North American IMPERATOUR will see the GRAMMY® Award-winning Swedish theatrical rock band headlining 19 arenas across the U.S. and Canada (plus an appearance at Virginia’s Blue Ridge Rock Fest), kicking off August 26 at San Diego’s Pechanga Arena and running through September 23 at the Resch Center in Green Bay.

The newly announced dates will comprise Ghost’s first North American run since the March 11, 2022 release of its fifth album IMPERA via Loma Vista Recordings. As reported by THE LOS ANGELES TIMES in a Calendar cover story, Ghost “conquered metal and the charts” as IMPERA debuted at #1 in a sweep of the U.S. album charts, entering the BILLBOARD 200 at #2 with first week sales of nearly 70,000. Internationally, IMPERA bowed at #1 in the band’s native Sweden as well as Germany and Finland, while cracking the top 5 in the UK (#2), Netherlands (#2), Belgium (#2), Canada (#3), Australia (#3), France (#5), Ireland (#5), and more. Produced by Klas Åhlund and mixed by Andy Wallace — and featuring “Spillways”—hailed as a “sweetly constructed rock tune” by THE NEW YORK TIMES, the Billboard Rock Chart (BDS) #1 charting “Call Me Little Sunshine,” and Active Rock #1 radio single “Hunter’s Moon” — IMPERA finds Ghost transported centuries forward from the Black Plague era of its previous album, 2018 Best Rock Album GRAMMY® nominee Prequelle—or as ROLLING STONE put it, “Ghost predicted the pandemic, Now the metal band is foretelling the fall of empires.” The result is the most ambitious and lyrically incisive entry in the Ghost canon: Over the course of IMPERA’s 12-song cycle, empires rise and fall, would-be messiahs ply their hype (financial and spiritual alike), prophecies are foretold as the skies fill with celestial bodies divine and man-made… All in all, the most current and topical Ghost subject matter to date is set against a hypnotic and darkly colorful melodic backdrop making IMPERA a listen like no other — yet unmistakably, quintessentially Ghost.

The announcement of IMPERATOUR’s North American swing completes a perfect storm of Ghost mania, coinciding with this week’s ascension of “Call Me Little Sunshine” to the top of the Rock Radio chart and the unveiling of Chapter 11: Family Dinner, the newest installment of Ghost’s long-running narrative series of webisodes. In this next chapter, we find Papa Emeritus IV, having returned to the Ministry, joining Sister Imperator, Mr. Saltarian, and the spirit of Papa Nihil for a meal of Chinese takeout. To take your seat at the reunion dinner, go HERE.

Support on all dates (with the exception of Green Bay which will feature support from Carcass, and the Blue Ridge Rock Fest) will come from GRAMMY® Award-winning band Mastodon, who have quietly evolved into one of the most influential, inimitable, and iconic rock bands of the modern era. Since emerging in 2000, the Atlanta quartet have defied both sonic and thematic boundaries with an uncategorizable, undeniable, and uncompromising vision unlike anything else in music. This vision manifested over the course of canonical albums such as Leviathan, which landed on Rolling Stone’s coveted The 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time. Following the seminal Crack The Skye [named one of the best albums of 2009 by Time], they earned three consecutive Top 10 debuts on the Billboard Top 200 with The Hunter [2011], Once More ‘Round the Sun [2014], and Emperor of Sand [2017]. Out of six career nominations, they received a GRAMMY® Award in the category of “Best Metal Performance” for “Sultan’s Curse.” They are the rare creative force whose music can be felt everywhere from Game of Thrones, Adult Swim, The History Channel, and DC comics films to Coachella and Bonnaroo. They notably supported the Hirschberg Foundation For Pancreatic Cancer Research with a rendition of “Stairway To Heaven” in honor of late manager Nick John. The group reached another critical high watermark via their ninth full-length, Hushed and Grim. Featuring the GRAMMY® Award-nominated “Pushing The Tides,” it marked the band’s third straight #1 bow on the Billboard Hard Rock Albums Chart. It concluded 2021 on over a dozen year-end lists with Rolling Stone raving, “we get everything from some of the band’s hookiest rockers to date to some of their most awe-inspiring epics.” Evolving as they usher rock into new realms, they forever remain the same unpredictable trailblazing beast—Mastodon.

Tickets for Ghost’s North American IMPERATOUR will be on sale from May 20 at 10am local time at https://found.ee/Ghost_Tour.  American Express® Card Members can purchase tickets in select markets before the general public beginning Wednesday, May 18 at 12pm local time through Thursday, May 19 at 10pm local time.

See below for a complete list of dates. For more information, including details re: limited VIP packages, go to www.ghost-official.com

GHOST
IMPERATOUR
North America 2022


Fri Aug 26 – San Diego, CA – Pechanga Arena San Diego
Sat Aug 27 – Tucson, AZ – Tucson Convention Center Arena
Tue Aug 30 – Austin, TX – Moody Center
Wed Aug 31 – Corpus Christi, TX – American Bank Center Arena
Fri Sep 2 – Huntsville, AL – Von Braun Center’s Propst Arena
Sat Sep 3 – Duluth, GA – Gas South Arena
Sun Sep 4 – Asheville, NC – ExploreAsheville.com Arena
Tue Sep 6 – Tampa, FL – Yuengling Arena
Thu Sep 8 – Danville, VA – BLUE RIDGE ROCK FEST*
Fri Sep 9 – Trenton, NJ – CURE Insurance Arena
Sat Sep 10 – Belmont Park, NY – UBS Arena
Mon Sep 12 – Providence, RI – Dunkin Donuts Center
Tue Sep 13 – Bangor, ME – Cross Insurance Center
Thu Sep 15 – Quebec City, QC – Videotron Centre
Fri Sep 16 – Laval, QC – Place Bell
Sat Sep 17 – Toronto, ON – Coca Cola Coliseum
Mon Sep 19 – Saginaw, MI – Dow Event Center
Tue Sep 20 – Youngstown, OH – Covelli Centre
Wed Sep 21 – Peoria, IL – Peoria Civic Center Arena
Fri Sep 23 – Green Bay, WI – Resch Center**

*Ghost and Spiritbox only
**Ghost, Spiritbox and special guest Carcass

GORILLAZ ANNOUNCE NORTH AMERICAN 2022 TOUR

GORILLAZ
North America
Fall 2022

Tickets On Sale Friday, May 20 at 10am Local Time

Gorillaz has confirmed an historic, rare and not to be missed North American tour. The tour, produced by Live Nation, is Gorillaz’ first Stateside trip since the 2018 trek that concluded with the inaugural Demon Dayz Festival L.A., described by UPROXX as “truly something special to see,” and is the band’s only planned North American outing on the horizon. The world’s most successful virtual act will once again be brought to life by Damon Albarn and the 14-piece Gorillaz live band — aided and abetted by a varying cast of guest performers — for a series of 21 unique and unforgettable arena dates across the U.S. and Canada (plus a previously announced headline appearance at the Life Is Beautiful festival) beginning September 11 in Vancouver, BC and wrapping up on October 23 in Miami, FL.

The Gorillaz live experience hailed by ROLLING STONE as “an overwhelming pop spectacle, with Damon Albarn’s steady presence to keep the audience focused” draws on 20+ years of genre-bending, paradigm-shifting, consistently innovative musical brilliance. Since their creation at the hands of Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, singer 2D, bassist Murdoc Niccals, guitarist Noodle and drummer Russel Hobbs have amassed an unparalleled arsenal of classic tunes including “Clint Eastwood,” “Tomorrow Comes Today,” “19-2000,” “Feel Good Inc.,” “DARE,” “Dirty Harry,” “Kids With Guns,” “El Mañana,” “Stylo,” “Superfast Jellyfish,” “On Melancholy Hill,” “Saturnz Barz,” “Andromeda,” “Strobelite,” “Humility,” “Hollywood,” “Tranz,” “Momentary Bliss,” “Désolé,” “Aries,” “Strange Timez,” “The Pink Phantom,” and literally dozens more. The BRIT and GRAMMY Award winning band’s albums include Gorillaz (2001), Demon Days (2005), Plastic Beach (2010), The Fall (2011), Humanz (2017), The Now Now (2018) and Song Machine – Season One: Strange Timez (2020). A truly global phenomenon, Gorillaz have achieved success in entirely ground-breaking and unique ways, touring the world from San Diego to Syria, Montevideo to Manchester and winning numerous awards including the coveted Jim Henson Creativity Honor. The band is recognized by The Guinness Book Of World Records as the planet’s Most Successful Virtual Act.

Gorillaz is currently bringing its spontaneous globe-trekking carnival to stages from South America to Europe, on its current 2022 World Tour. The Fall 2022 dates comprise its only currently planned visit to North America. Support from Vancouver through Atlanta will come from EARTHGANG, while Jungle will support in Orlando and Miami.

For further information re: tickets, pre-sales, etc., visit https://www.gorillaz.com/ and https://www.livenation.com/

GORILLAZ
North America
Fall 2022

Sun Sep 11  – Vancouver, BC  – Rogers Arena
Mon Sep 12  – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
Wed Sep 14  – Portland, OR –Moda Center
Sat Sep 17  – Las Vegas, NV  – Life is Beautiful Festival
Mon Sep 19  – Salt Lake City, UT – Vivint Smart Home Arena
Wed Sep 21  – San Francisco, CA  – Chase Center
Fri Sep 23  – Los Angeles, CA – Kia Forum
Mon Sep 26  – Phoenix, AZ  – Footprint Center
Wed Sep 28  – Denver, CO  – Ball Arena
Fri Sep 30  – Austin, TX  – Moody Center
Sat Oct 01  – Irving, TX  – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
Mon Oct 03  – Chicago, IL  – United Center
Wed Oct 05  – Detroit, MI  – Little Caesars Arena
Thu Oct 06  – Toronto, ON  – Scotiabank Arena
Sat Oct 08  – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
Tue Oct 11  – Boston, MA – TD Garden
Wed Oct 12  – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
Fri Oct 14  – Philadelphia, PA – The Met Philadelphia
Mon Oct 17  – Columbia, MD  – Merriweather Post Pavilion
Wed Oct 19  – Alpharetta, GA  – Ameris Bank Amphitheater
Fri Oct 21  – Orlando, FL – Amway Center
Sun Oct 23  – Miami, FL – FTX Arena

EARTHGANG supports September 11 through October 19
Jungle supports October 21 and 23

THE SHINS: OH, INVERTED WORLD – THE 21ST BIRTHDAY TOUR

THE SHINS

OH, INVERTED WORLD – THE 21ST BIRTHDAY TOUR

TICKETS ON SALE FRIDAY, MAY 20

The Shins are bringing their classic 2001 debut album Oh, Inverted World to life in its entirety with a 21st Birthday Tour this summer. Beginning on July 12th in San Francisco, the band will embark on a two month tour of North America performing the landmark album from start to finish — plus a nightly rotation of additional fan favorites and deep cuts. The “low-key masterpiece” (The New York Times) will celebrate 21 years since its arrival on June 19, 2001. 

James Mercer’s injection of emotional sincerity and melodic ambition redefined the indie rock paradigm at the dawn of the 21st century — and Oh, Inverted World sounds every bit as fresh, honest and expansive as it did then. Upon its original release over two decades ago, Oh, Inverted World was quickly praised by The New York Times as “a beguiling but confounding little album that wasn’t as little as it first seemed.” Today, Billboard agrees, “Twenty years later, the sound of Mercer’s sublime vocals over tranquil acoustic guitar is just as affecting.”

“Everything was so tongue-in-cheek in the indie world of the ’90s,” Mercer says today. “I remember feeling a longing for some sort of romance in music again, something earnest, like a real attempt at some emotional language.” 

Reissued last year in a 20th anniversary edition remastered by Bob Ludwig, Oh, Inverted World is one of those rare masterworks that remains as concise as it is vital, with not an iota of filler. Mercer says of Oh, Inverted World, “This record symbolized a very special moment in my life, a watershed moment for sure.” Their debut full length, caused a seismic shift in the indie rock world upon its release in 2001, singlehandedly ushering in the modern era of the genre. The record packs 11 tracks into barely over 30 minutes, including gems like “New Slang,” “Caring Is Creepy,” “Girl Inform Me”—every one of which “became defining touchstones of millennial indie rock.” (Entertainment Weekly).

With support from Portland sister trio Joseph, the tour will make stops at iconic venues like Red Rocks, Radio City Music Hall and the Ryman Auditorium, ending at Portland’s Pioneer Courthouse Square on September 16. Tickets go on sale Friday, May 20th at 10AM local time but you can register now for the Oh, Inverted World 21st Birthday Tour presale at www.ohinvertedworldtour.com to get access to tickets in most markets before they go on sale to the general public. 

Some bakers at dawn whipped up this birthday cake to celebrate. Enjoy a slice!

OH, INVERTED WORLD – THE 21ST BIRTHDAY TOUR

07/12/22 – San Francisco, CA – The Warfield ^
07/15/22 – Sacramento, CA – Memorial Auditorium ^
07/16/22 – Saratoga, CA – The Mountain Winery* ^
07/22/22 – Las Vegas, NV – The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas ^
07/23/22 – San Diego, CA – San Diego Civic Theatre ^
07/24/22 – Phoenix, AZ – Marquee Theatre ^
07/26/22 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre ^
07/27/22 – Kansas City, MO – Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland ^
07/29/22 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at The Moody Theater ^
08/01/22 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall ^
08/02/22 – Dallas, TX – The Factory in Deep Ellum ^
08/04/22 – Albuquerque, NM – Kiva Auditorium ^
08/06/22 – Ogden, UT – Ogden Twilight at the Ogden Amphitheater ^
08/16/22 – Atlanta, GA – The Eastern ^
08/17/22 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium ^
08/19/22 – Washington, DC – The Anthem ^
08/20/22 – Richmond, VA – The National ^
08/23/22 – New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall ^
08/26/22 – Philadelphia, PA – Skyline Stage at the Mann ^
08/27/22 – Boston, MA – Roadrunner ^
08/29/22 – Montreal, QC – L’Olympia ^
08/30/22 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall ^
08/31/22 – Detroit, MI – Masonic Cathedral Theatre ^
09/02/22 – Cleveland, OH – The Agora ^
09/03/22 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE ^
09/04/22 – Columbus, OH – KEMBA Live! ^
09/06/22 – Saint Louis, MO – The Factory ^
09/08/22 – Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre ^
09/10/22 – Minneapolis, MN – Orpheum Theatre ^
09/13/22 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre ^
09/14/22 – Vancouver, BC – Queen Elizabeth Theatre ^
09/16/22 – Portland, OR – Pioneer Courthouse Square**

*On Sale Date TBA
^ With special guest Joseph
**Support Act TBA

Danger Mouse & Black Thought: Album, Cheat Codes, out August 12th

Danger Mouse & Black Thought

Cheat Codes album, out 12th August

No Gold Teeth Single & Video Out Now

Danger Mouse & Black Thought – two of contemporary music’s most exciting, respected artists – have announced their forthcoming joint album, Cheat Codes, out 12th August via BMG.  

Cheat Codes is Danger Mouse’s first hip-hop album since his DANGERDOOM collaboration with the late, great MF DOOM, and follows Black Thought’s pioneering output with The Roots and critically acclaimed solo trilogy, Streams Of Thought.    

Cheat Codes features various friends and peers of the duo, including; A$AP Rocky, Run The Jewels, MF DOOM, Michael Kiwanuka, Joey Bada$$, Russ, Raekwon and Conway the Machine.  

Official news of the project, initially rumored to be called Dangerous Thoughts, ends years of anticipation and speculation.  

Opening single, No Gold Teeth, is out now https://DMxBT.lnk.to/NoGoldTeethPR

Danger Mouse’s soulful, freewheeling music serves as the perfect setting for Black Thought’s metronomic, pin-sharp and chorus-free lyrical deluge, giving listeners a thrilling glimpse of what’s in store from the album. The accompanying video for No Gold Teeth – directed by UNCANNY, the UK-based creative duo of George Muncey and Elliot Elder – is a visually hypnotic collage of machine learning-created images.

Video: https://youtu.be/yrq1pVgGkMs

Danger Mouse (Brian Burton) is one of the most versatile and prolific talents in modern-day music. His wide-ranging endeavors include; Broken Bells and Gnarls Barkley, collaborative albums with Karen O and MF DOOM; plus production for Adele, U2, The Black Keys, Gorillaz, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Michael Kiwanuka, Parquet Courts, and many more. Black Thought (Tariq Trotter) is simply one of the best rappers alive. Co-founder of The Roots and an accomplished solo artist, plus a film and theatre actor, producer and writer.  

Together, these multiple Grammy winners make a formidable duo. Meticulously built over several years, Cheat Codes finds Burton taking widescreen, soul-infused hip-hop soundscapes to new heights, whilst Black Thought’s incredible lyricism, razor-sharp rapping and raw hunger are somehow more commanding and thrilling than ever. It’s this unique alchemy and ability to raise each other’s game that makes Cheat Codes more than just the sum of its parts, and much more than typical producer-meets-rapper arrangement or side project.     

Burton and Trotter first met back in 2005.  The pair worked on some songs together, time went by, life happened, other things came up.  

Following The Grey Album, Burton became one of the most in-demand and prolific producers around helming several commercial smashes, picking up awards and accolades, developing collaborations with a unique spectrum of artists, and all the while honing his own musicianship and writing skills.  Meanwhile, Trotter’s groundbreaking group The Roots became the house band for Late Night then The Tonight Show; he created and released his critically acclaimed solo trilogy, Streams of Thought; wrote, composed and starred in the widely praised off-Broadway show, Black No More; co-produced a television series with Questlove, and collaborated with Eminem, John Legend, Pusha T, Griselda and others.  

Each mistakenly thought the other had moved on and their collaboration had died on the vine, but truthfully neither ever stopped wanting to work together.  

Then everything changed. Burton felt an instinctive pull to go back to his roots (no pun intended), to make a timeless hip-hop album and knew Tariq was the only rapper capable of fulfilling that vision.  Simultaneously, Trotter was seeking a space where he could express himself musically beyond the confines and structure of his own band. This time around, Burton was a far more seasoned songwriter and producer, Trotter a more extraordinary rapper. So, setting aside all distractions, Burton played Trotter some new music and the ideas and words flowed.  It was liberating.  
 

Cheat Codes album artwork

Cheat Codes tracklist

Danger Mouse & Black Thought by UNCANNY

THE SMILE: NEW SINGLE WITH ACCOMPANYING STOP-MOTION ANIMATED VIDEO

THE SMILE REVEAL STOP-MOTION ANIMATED VIDEO FOR THEIR BRAND-NEW SINGLE “THIN THING”

TRACK IS TAKEN FROM THE BAND’S UPCOMING DEBUT ALBUM A LIGHT FOR ATTRACTING ATTENTION, OUT THIS FRIDAY MAY 13th

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

The Smile have today released their brand-new, stop-motion animated video for “Thin Thing,” taken from the band’s upcoming debut album A Light For Attracting Attention, which is out this Friday May 13th digitally and June 17th physically, via XL Recordings. Watch the video here.

The video was directed by Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña and took the pair six months to make. Speaking about the video, they say:

“Hearing the song for the first time, we imagined a frenetic fluid that carries machines, pieces of human bodies and carnivorous plants. When presenting the idea to the band, Thom told us about a dream that made him write the song. We believe the video is the conjunction of these two things.”

Produced by Nigel Godrich, A Light For Attracting Attention features strings by the London Contemporary Orchestra and a full brass section of contemporary UK jazz players including Byron Wallen, Theon and Nathaniel Cross, Chelsea Carmichael, Robert Stillman and Jason Yarde.

The Smile, comprising Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood and Sons of Kemet’s Tom Skinner, have previously released the singles You Will Never Work in Television AgainThe SmokeSkrting On The SurfacePana-vision and Free In The Knowledge to critical acclaim. In January the band played three consecutive sold-out live shows over a 24- hour period in London. These shows were simultaneously livestreamed to a worldwide audience.

The band begin their 2022 European tour on May 16th in Croatia and will be performing UK dates in London, Edinburgh, and Manchester, before heading back into Europe, with a final performance in Taormina, Sicily, on July 20th. The dates include a performance at Down The Rabbit Hole festival in the Netherlands on July 2nd and the Montreux Jazz Festival on July 12th.

For more information:
Instagram 
Twitter
Facebook
https://thesmiletheband.com

Photo Credit: Alex Lake

ARCADE FIRE: “UNCONDITIONAL I (LOOKOUT KID)” VIDEO LIVE NOW

ARCADE FIRE 

“UNCONDITIONAL I (LOOKOUT KID)” VIDEO LIVE NOW

APPEARING ON THE TONIGHT SHOW STARRING JIMMY FALLON MAY 12

NEW ALBUM WE OUT NOW

“‘Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)’ is the kind of music the world needs.” —FLOOD


Following its triumphant live network television debut this weekend on Saturday Night Live, “Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)” is the second video from Arcade Fire’s “excellent sixth album” (The New Yorker), WE, released May 6 via Columbia Records.

Directed by Academy Award nominee Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild) and edited by Affonso Gonçalves (Todd Haynes’ The Velvet Underground), “Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)” channels the “soulful, jubilant outpouring” (Stereogum) of the “joyful anthem” (SPIN) into a rich visual tapestry of youthful innocence and mischief amidst environmental tumult.  Zeitlin’s approach employs fragmented images revolving around a set of thematic ideas — youth, loneliness, pleasure, pain — all converging around unconditional love, and all using wind as the central visual mechanism. The wind is captured at its most destructive and frustrating, but ultimately as building toward an understanding that, like all forces of nature, when we accept and love them they can elevate us. “Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)” intersperses this imagery with glimpses of Arcade Fire performing the song at its recent New Orleans and Coachella performances—all this and a supporting cast of inflatable air dancers can be seen HERE

With its fifth SNL now in the rear view— the band having delivered stunning performances of “The Lightning I, II” and  “Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)” — Arcade Fire will make its second U.S. network TV appearance in support of WE this Thursday, May 12 on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

WE’s May 6 release coincided with the announcement of Arcade Fire’s fall world tour. The WE arena tour will bring the full production of Arcade Fire’s “must-see live act” (Variety) experience to global stages, launching in Dublin on Tuesday, August 30th and running through December 1st in Toronto. The North American leg of the WE tour — featuring very special guest Beck playing a nightly acoustic set — will kick off October 28th in Washington D.C., while Europe will include special guest Feist for all shows.

For further information, visit www.arcadefire.com

ARCADE FIRE: ANNOUNCE WORLD TOUR & ALBUM OUT TODAY

ARCADE FIRE 
WE 
NEW ALBUM OUT TODAY

WORLD TOUR ANNOUNCED — NORTH AMERICAN DATES TO FEATURE A SPECIAL ACOUSTIC PERFORMANCE BY BECK, EUROPEAN DATES TO FEATURE SPECIAL GUEST FEIST

APPEARING ON SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE MAY 7

Following the universally rapturous reception to singles “The Lightning I, II” and “Unconditional I (Lookout Kid),” Arcade Fire’s “excellent sixth album” (The New YorkerWE is released to the world in its entirety today, May 6th 2022, via Columbia Records at http://af.lnk.to/_we

WE’s release coincides with the announcement of Arcade Fire’s fall world tour. In the wake of surprise underplays including New Orleans’ Toulouse Theatre, New York’s Bowery Ballroom, Coachella’s Mojave Tent and KOKO in London, the WE world tour will bring the full production of Arcade Fire’s “must-see live act” (Variety) experience to global stages, launching in Dublin on Tuesday, August 30th and running through December 1st in Toronto. The North American leg of the WE tour — featuring very special guest Beck playing a nightly acoustic set — will kick off October 28th in Washington D.C., while Europe will include special guest Feist for all shows.

Tickets for all dates will be on sale to the public beginning Friday, May 13th at 10am local time. Arcade Fire has partnered with PLUS1 (http://www.plus1.org) so that $1/£1/€1 per ticket goes to KANPE (http://www.kanpe.org), and their work bringing support to the most vulnerable communities in Haiti. For further information on this initiative, visit www.arcadefire.com

Make sure to tune into SNL tomorrow as Arcade Fire join the Saturday Night Live 5-timers club. 

ARCADE FIRE
WE
European Tour 2022

08/30/22 – Dublin, IE – 3Arena *
09/02/22 – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena Birmingham *
09/03/22 – Manchester, UK – AO Arena *
09/05/22 – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro *
09/08/22 – London, UK – The O2 *
09/11/22 – Lille, FR – Zenith*
09/12/22 – Antwerp, BE – Sportpaleis *
09/14/22 – Cologne, DE – Lanxess Arena *
09/15/22 – Paris, FR – Accor Arena *
09/17/22 – Milan, IT – Mediolanum Forum *
09/18/22 – Munich, DE – Olympiahalle *
09/21/22 – Madrid, ES – WiZink Center *
09/22/22 – Lisbon, PT – Campo Pequeno *
09/23/22 – Lisbon, PT – Campo Pequeno *
09/25/22 – Bordeaux, FR – Arkea Arena *
09/26/22 – Nantes, FR – Zenith de Nantes *
09/28/22 – Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome *
09/29/22 – Berlin, DE – Mercedes-Benz Arena *
10/01/22 – Warsaw, PL –  COS Torwar *

North American Tour 2022
10/28/22 – Washington, DC – The Anthem ^
11/01/22 – Camden, NJ – Waterfront Music Pavilion ^
11/04/22 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center ^
11/08/22 – Boston, MA – MGM Fenway Music Hall ^
11/10/22 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena ^
11/12/22 – Chicago, IL – United Center ^
11/13/22 – Minneapolis, MN – The Armory ^
11/16/22 – Los Angeles, CA – The Kia Forum ^
11/19/22 – San Francisco, CA – Bill Graham Civic Auditorium ^
11/22/22 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena ^
11/25/22 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena ^
11/27/22 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place ^
12/01/22 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena ^

* with special guest Feist
^ with special guest Beck (acoustic)

RAMMSTEIN: NEW ALBUM, ZEIT, OUT NOW

RAMMSTEIN

ZEIT

NEW ALBUM OUT NOW 

“ANGST” VIDEO LIVE NOW AT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONj9cvHCado&t=0s&ab_channel=RammsteinOfficial

Hailed in advance by Revolver magazine for its balancing “slow-burning beauty with industrial-strength power,” and preceded by rapturously received singles/videos “Zeit” and “Zick Zack”, Rammstein’s new album Zeit has arrived!

The eighth full length studio album from the Berlin sextet, Zeit’s April 29, 2022 release date lands almost exactly three years to the day of its predecessor, Rammstein’s 2019 untitled album that shot straight to the top of 14 international charts—including the U.S. top 10—following the longest break between albums of their career to date.

Zeit’s release is accompanied by a third video, this time for the track “Angst”, which received its world premiere today on Rammstein’s official YouTube channel.

Over the course of a career spanning almost 30 years, Rammstein have sold more than 20 million albums around the world and played countless spectacular, groundbreaking tours. When the band’s sold-out stadium tour had to be postponed due to the pandemic, Rammstein used the time to work on their new album. Till Lindemann (vocals), Paul Landers (guitar), Richard Z. Kruspe (guitar), Flake (keyboards), Oliver Riedel (bass) and Christoph Schneider (drums) spent two years working on Zeit’s eleven songs. They were once again assisted by Berlin producer Olsen Involtini. Zeit was recorded at La Fabrique Studios in St. Rémy de Provence, France.

Bryan Adams managed to get a special scoop for the cover of the new album – the Canadian musician and photographer took the shot of Rammstein on the steps of the Trudelturm in Berlin Adlershof, an imposing monument to aerial research in the city’s Aerodynamic Park.

Zeit is available in a staggering array of multiple formats—including a standard CD in a digipack with a 20-page booklet, a special edition CD in a 6-panel digipack with a 56-page booklet including slipcase, and as a double 180g vinyl LP with a 20-page large-format booklet, as well as in the usual digital formats.

Zeit will be supported by the return of the legendary Rammstein live experience, in the form of extensive upcoming European and North American stadium tours. Check Rammstein.com for tour dates and further information.

ARCADE FIRE: “UNCONDITIONAL I (LOOKOUT KID)” NEW TRACK OUT NOW

ARCADE FIRE 

“UNCONDITIONAL I (LOOKOUT KID)”

NEW TRACK OUT NOW

FROM NEW ALBUM WE OUT MAY 6

“It’s tough to think of another band that’s as formally concerned with (or as preternaturally adept at) enabling full-body catharsis, and it’s tough to imagine another moment in which this sweaty, hyper-intimate brand of absolution might be more welcome.” —THE NEW YORKER

Having been previewed live at recent surprise performances ranging from New York’s Bowery Ballroom to Coachella’s Mojave Tent, today sees the official release of “Unconditional I (Lookout Kid),”  the second advance offering from Arcade Fire’s “excellent sixth album” (The New YorkerWE  to be released May 6 via Columbia Records. 

Like first single “The Lightning I, II”—hailed upon its release by The New York Times as “burning… with an earnest, fiery hope”—“Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)” also appears on the second side of WE — the half of the record that channels and revels in the power and joy of human (re)connection. The song’s lyrics find Arcade Fire’s Win Butler offering heartfelt advice and concern for coming generations in the face of myriad challenges of an uncertain future. The result is a buoyant chorus of optimism celebrating unconditional love as a seemingly unachievable ideal that occurs naturally and effortlessly with one’s children.

“There’s nothing saccharine about unconditional love in a world that is coming apart at the seams,” said Win Butler. “WE need each other, in all of our imperfection. ‘Lookout Kid’ is a reminder, a lullaby for the end times, sung to my son, but for everyone… Trust your heart, trust your mind, trust your body, trust your soul. Shit is going to get worse before it gets better, but it always gets better, and no one’s perfect. Let me say it again. No one’s perfect.”

WE is produced by Nigel Godrich, Win & Régine.

For further information, visit www.arcadefire.com

Photo credit: María José Govea