Coldplay To Release A New EP

Before playing a special show at the London Palladium, Coldplay did an interview with Absolute Radio (who sponsored the event), and dropped an interesting piece of information.

In the first of two interviews, Absolute Radio host Pete Donaldson interviewed vocalist Chris Martin and guitarist Jonny Buckland, sharing some banter, but around the three minute mark, Martin shared some surprising news:

This whole tour’s been so wonderful... and we’re just finishing some songs for an EP we’re putting out. This is the first time we’re talking about it, actually.

In a following interview with bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion, revealing the title of the EP to be Kaleidoscope, just like the track with the same title on the band's 2015 record A Head Full Of Dreams. No further details on the EP are revealed, but the band members go on to talk about recording on the road and the touring life.

There you have it! We'll keep you updated on more details on the EP as they come - more information will be coming soon!

Leonard Cohen Dies At 82

Legendary singer and songwriter Leonard Cohen has passed away at the age of 82.

The influential artist has had a career that spanned over five decades, with fifteen albums under his belt. His dark style led to a brand new uprising of similar artists in the sixties and seventies, only being surpassed by Bob Dylan in influence.

Cohen was born in September 1934 in Westmount, Quebec. He learned guitar in his teens and found his first ventures in poetry. After difficulty with selling books of his work, he went to New York to discovery to folk-rock scene, which he made his own. His career from then on is history. He released his latest album You Want It Darker last month. Cohen was best known for his songs such as 'Hallelujah'.

His death was announced on his Facebook page, with the following message:

It is with profound sorrow we report that legendary poet, songwriter and artist, Leonard Cohen has passed away.
We have lost one of music’s most revered and prolific visionaries.
A memorial will take place in Los Angeles at a later date. The family requests privacy during their time of grief.

Rest in peace, Leonard Cohen. Thank you for sharing your art with the world..

System Of A Down Are Releasing New Music In 2017!

First Metallica broke their studio silence, and now System Of A Down are joining in too (we're still waiting for Tool, though)! SOAD has confirmed that they will be releasing new music in the new year.

It's been 11 years since the band's last release: a duo album in the form of Mesmerize and Hypnotize. The band's members have been touring with System Of A Down on and off over the last decade, as well as working on their own side projects. It's finally time to buckle down and create some new music for fans, though.

In an interview with Kerrang, drummer John Dolmayan stated the following:

We’ve been working on a new album for the last six months and there’s about 15 songs that I think are album-worthy... We don’t know what’s happening in terms of release, it’s still not 100% as far as plans go... I want everyone on board and feeling good about it, that’s what we’re trying to accomplish right now. There’s a tremendous amount of pressure on us, though, because it’s been 11 years – at least 12 by the time it comes out.
— Kerrang

There you have it! According to Dolmayan, it looks like it may not be until mid or late 2017 until we get a taste of the new music, but it's certainly on its way. Fans looking for more of the band's signature sound may be in for a surprise, however. Continuing on in the interview, Dolmayan claimed the band are not looking to create "Toxicity Part 2... This needs to be something for a new generation of System Of A Down fans, so everyone can see we’re not resting on our laurels. I’m not gonna put my name on an album I’m not 100% proud of."

Vocalist Serj Tankian expressed in an interview earlier in the year that new music is in the works, but it might not even by SOAD music - whether or not it is, though, we're sure it'll be great. System Of A Down just made 2017 a whole lot better.

Bohren & Der Club Of Gore To Release Classic Records On Vinyl

Music collectors and jazz fans rejoice - Bohren & Der Club Of Gore are releasing some of their records on vinyl for the first time!

The group - the deliverers of doom jazz - are bringing three of their critically acclaimed records to the vinyl format, to be released over the course of the next three months. These records include Sunset MissionBlack Earth, and Geisterfaust. These will be the debuts of Sunset Mission and Geisterfaust on vinyl format.

The band posted the following statement on their Facebook page:

You patient friends of uneventful music,
after years of gloom and desperation, the day has come.
No more illegal copies, no more unauthorized releases, no more grotesque Schwarzmarktpreise, here is the real (and legal) stuff
— Bohren & Der Club Of Gore Facebook Page

The albums will be available in your local record store and on their website (preorders are not available). The schedule is as follows:

  • November 11, 2016Sunset Mission
  • December 2, 2016Black Earth
  • January 13, 2017Geisterfaust

The LPs will be issued by different distributers by country:

  • Forced Exposure (USA/CAN)
  • PIAS (UK)
  • Disk Union (JP)
  • Balance (AU)
  • Modulor (FR)
  • Self Distribuzione (IT)
  • Soyuz (RUS)
  • PIAS / RoughTrade (Benelux)
  • Border (Scandinavia)

Prices are not yet known, but certainly they'll be worth it for such excellent records.

Muse Release Fun Halloween Cover + Video

Muse can always pull something fun out of their bag. After days of teasing a Halloween surprise, they've released it: a new cover of The Cramps' 'New Kind Of Kick' with a video accompanying it.

Relinquish hopes for a new album in the near future - the bands attire in the video is confirmation enough that this was just something fun the band put together for the Halloween.

The music video for the song is about as ridiculous as the song is itself; Matt Bellamy goes all out, dressed as Elvis Presley while Dom Howard carries the rhythm from looking like a zombie. Chris Wolstenholme looks like he's ready to kill his bandmates for real as he reluctantly plays bass to the track. Bellamy shakes his behind and screams right next to the soulless Howard, actress Miss Miranda does some provocative things in various scenes as well.

Muse just wrapped up their massive 360 tour for their seventh album Drones (read our track-by-track review here) in August, so it's unlikely we'll see any real new material for a while now, but its great to see that the band is still up for doing some silly stunts like this.

Watch Muse's new video, complete with Bellamy's ass shaking and triumphant claim of "Like Susie needs dick," below.

Avenged Sevenfold Dropping Surprise Album Tomorrow

Avenged Sevenfold are throwing us for a loop. The alternative metal outfit is allegedly releasing their new album tomorrow. 

The band will release The Stage on Friday, October 28 if reports are correct. The title track 'The Stage' - which we reviewed here - was released as a single earlier this week with a music video.

The cover and tracklist for The Stage are as follows:

IMG_7246.JPG
  1. The Stage (8:32)
  2.  Paradigm (4:19)
  3. Sunny Disposition (6:41)
  4. God Damn (3:42)
  5. Creating God (5:35)
  6. Angels (5:41)
  7. Simulation (5:31)
  8. Higher (6:29)
  9. Roman Sky (5:00)
  10. Fermi Paradox (6:31)
  11. Exist (15:39)

The album clocks in at around 71 minutes - that's a lot of new material. Are you ready for new music from Avenged Sevenfold. Their last effort was in 2013, with Hail To The King .

New Starset Music Coming Soon?

There are few bands with grandiose like Starset. The symphonic rock band made it big when they released their debut Transmissions back in 2014, and a follow up may be approaching soon.

The band teased a video on their Twitter account yesterday, slowly panning into a grandfather clock in the middle of a field, both its face and the scene's background periodically glitching out before the ominous hashtag #MONSTER is shown at the end.

What do you think's coming up? A new single? New music? The band's been touring for the last two years in support of the record, so they haven't had much time to get busy in the studio, but they seem to have finally gotten the time to buckle down and record their follow up. Get the hype rolling!

Foo Fighters Return From Hiatus With Live Show

After a year off the stage to take a break from the limelight, it seems that alternative rockers Foo Fighters are back in action!

The band held a private fundraiser open to very limited individuals (presumably some very generous donors) at an unknown venue in Los Angeles, California on October 15, with several special guests and a plethora of covers (including The PoliceDavid Bowie, and Sex Pistols).

The band has been on indefinite hiatus since the end of 2015's Sonic Highways tour. Producer Butch Vig said in an interview that Dave Grohl had told him "I am toast - I need to go home and stop and just recuperate, I need to go dark for a while." Speaking to KROQ, guitarist Chris Shiflett added: "We were on the road for at least a year or so for [Wasting Light], but then we were also traveling when we made [Sonic Highways], so that kind of felt like we were on the road [for another] year and a half or so." It seems the band are ready to get back at it, or are at least getting the juices flowing.

The band's setlist was as follows:

  1. Learn To Fly
  2. My Hero
  3. Stay (I Missed You) (Lisa Loeb cover) (w/ Lisa Loeb)
  4. Moonage Daydream (David Bowie cover) (w/ Lisa Loeb)
  5. Times Like These
  6. Bodies (Sex Pistols cover) (w/ Steve Jones)
  7. Silly Thing (Sex Pistols cover) (w/ Steve Jones)
  8. Stay With Me (Faces cover) (w/ Steve Jones)
  9. All My Life
  10. Excesses (Klark Kent cover) (w/ Stewart Copeland)
  11. Message In A Bottle (The Police cover) (w/ Stewart Copeland)
  12. Everlong
  13. Monkey Wrench
  14. I Can't Drive 55 (Sammy Hagar cover) (w/ Sammy Hagar)
  15. Finish What Ya Started (Van Halen cover) (w/ Sammy Hagar)
  16. Rock and Roll (Led Zeppelin cover) (w/ Sammy Hagar)
  17. Miss You (The Rolling Stones cover) (w/ Jeff Probst)
  18. Been Caught Stealing (Jane's Addiction cover) (w/ Perry Farrell)
  19. Time Is On My Side (Kai Winding & His Orchestra cover) (w/ Perry Farrell)
  20. Had A Dad (Jane's Addiction cover) (w/ Perry Farrell)
  21. Best Of You
  22. Detroit Rock City (KISS cover) (w/ Paul Stanley)
  23. Do You Love Me (KISS cover) (w/ Paul Stanley)
  24. I Was Made For Lovin' You (KISS cover) (w/ Paul Stanley)
  25. Whole Lotta Love / Rock and Roll (Led Zeppelin cover) (w/ Paul Stanley

Are the Foos back? What do you think? It's been a long while since Sonic Highways - hopefully this is a sign of things to come!

Depeche Mode Announce Album + Tour Plans For 2017

The forerunners of electronic rock Depeche Mode are getting geared up for a busy year in 2017. They announced a new album today, slated for release next year, as well as a tour in support of it.

The band's new album Spirit will be their fourteenth record, the follow-up to 2013's Delta Machine. There is no confirmed release date yet, but the band have claimed they are looking at a spring 2017 release.

Along with details of the album came a massive 32-date tour in support of the record, entitled the Global Spirit Tour. The tour starts up in May and will see the band performing throughout Europe until July. The proceeds of the tour will go to charity:water, an organization aimed at bringing safe, clean water to those around the globe who can't easily access it. The tour dates are as follows: 

  • May 5, 2016 - Stockholm, Sweden (Friends Arena)
  • May 7, 2016 - Amsterdam, Netherlands (Ziggo Dome)
  • May 9, 2016 - Antwerp, Belgium (Sportpaleis)
  • May 12, 2016 - Nice, France (Stade Charles-Ehrmann)
  • May 14, 2016 - Ljubljana, Slovenia (Dvorana Stožice)
  • May 17, 2016 - Athens, Greece (Terra Vibe Park)
  • May 20, 2016 - Bratislava, Slovakia (Štadión Pasienky)
  • May 22, 2016 - Budapest, Hungary (Groupama Aréna)
  • May 24, 2016 - Prague, Czech Republic (Eden Aréna)
  • May 27, 2016 - Leipzig, Germany (Festwiese)
  • May 29, 2016 - Lille, France (Stade Pierre-Mauroy)
  • May 31, 2016 - Copenhagen, Denmark (Telia Parken)
  • June 3, 2016 - London, England (London Stadium)
  • June 5, 2016 - Cologne, Germany (RheinEnergieStadion)
  • June 9, 2016 - Munich, Germany (Olympiastadion)
  • June 11, 2016 - Hannover, Germany (HDI Arena)
  • June 18, 2016 - Zurich, Switzerland (Letzigrund Stadion)
  • June 20, 2016 - Frankfurt, Germany (Commerzbank-Arena)
  • June 22, 2016 - Berlin, Germany (Olympiastadion)
  • June 25, 2016 - Rome, Italy (Stadio Olimpico)
  • June 27, 2016 - Milan, Italy (Stadio San Siro)
  • June 29, 2016 - Bologna, Italy (Stadio Rentao Dall'Ara)
  • July 1, 2016 - Paris, France (Stade de France)
  • July 4, 2016 - Gelsenkirchen, Germany (Veltins-Arena)
  • July 6, 2016 - Bilbao, Spain (BBK Live Festival)
  • July 8, 2016 - Lisbon, Portugal (NOS Alive Festival)
  • July 13, 2016 - St. Petersburg, Russia (SKK)
  • July 15, 2016 - Moscow, Russia (Otkritie Arena)
  • July 17, 2016 - Minsk, Belarus (Minsk-Arena)
  • July 19, 2016 - Kiev, Ukraine (Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex)
  • July 21, 2016 - Warsaw, Poland (PGE Narodowy)
  • July 23, 2016 - Cluj-Napoca, Romania (Cluj Arena)

Before 2017 rolls around, the band will also be releasing a collection of their videography on November 11, entitled the Video Singles Collection. In a statement, the band said "It's been amazing to go back and relive all the experiences and memories these videos evoke after all these years. It's incredible to have all our videos finally together in one place, and we're hoping our fans enjoy this journey through time as much as we did." We'll keep you updated on the band's upcoming album and 2017 antics.

Pink Floyd "Reunite" For The Women Of The Gaza Freedom Flotilla

Members of the legendary progressive rock band Pink Floyd are "reuniting" in support of the Women Of The Gaza Freedom Flotilla Coalition, an global organization aimed at ending the siege of Muslim women's rights in Gaza, Egypt. The organization was illegally arrested and stopped in international waters by the Israeli Defense Force.

The band released a statement on their Facebook page Thursday stating the following:

The Women Of The Gaza Freedom Flotilla Coalition recently announced the details of their "Women's Boat To Gaza" initiative, in which a series of ships will set sail to challenge the Israeli blockade, as well as give hope to the Palestinian people. The boats set sail to Gaza in mid-September. For more information, see the organization's website.

The band also released a remix of the classic track 'Childhood's End' from the seventh album, Obscured By Clouds which was originally released in 1972. The new mix was done by Andy Jackson and Damon Iddins, and serves as a promotional single from the band's upcoming collection Pink Floud: The Early Years (1965-1972), which will be released this November.

The extent of this "reunion" is unknown - whether it is nothing beyond this statement or if it means shows in support of the cause or new music is on the way is yet to be seen, but what we do know is that it's great to see a band of this caliber support such a cause.

Bruno Mars' New Album Is Done + A New Single Ahead

Early this morning (October 3), Bruno Mars announced that he has finished his third album on Twitter! The album marks the pop sensation's first record since 2012's Unorthodox Jukebox.

Mars has been working on the new record throughout 2016, remaining quiet about his work. While no date was announced with the album announcement, a date for the album's first single, '24k Magic' was announced - that's dropping this Friday, October 7. In an Instagram caption, Mars stated, "You can call it my first single, but I call it the invitation to the party," along with some firework and champagne emojis. The hype is on!

Ready for some new Bruno Mars? It's been awhile since we've seen his own material, and people are getting sick of 'Uptown Funk'. It's time for a new wave of funk to wash through!

Brand New Push Back Album Release, To Perform Iconic Record In Full

Alternative rock band Brand New have been busy working on a new record - rumored to be their last - and touring, but fans may need to wait a bit longer to hear the new material.

The band released a statement (as shown below) on the progress of the record, stating that "there exists a collection of songs that, right now, would call fit to be an album," but go on to say the album isn't complete to them, yet. While they planned to release a record this year, the ending sentence of the paragraph confirms "Brand New will not release a record in 2016."

What the band will be doing, however, is performing their major label debut third effort, The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me in its entirety on their upcoming fall tour in honor of its ten-year anniversary. The band has been touring North America since June, and are gearing up for another excursion across the country in October and November. It is unknown if the band will continue to perform the album in December when they head to Europe.

Read the full statement released by the band below:

Catch The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me performed in its entirety at these shows in October and November:

  • October 13, 2016: Rochester, New York (Main Street Armory)
  • October 14, 2016: Glens Falls, New York (Glens Falls Civic Center) 
  • October 15, 2016: Portland, Maine (Cross Insurance Arena)
  • October 17, 2016: Wallingford, Connecticut (Oakdale Theater)
  • October 18, 2016: Ithaca, New York (Ithaca College and Events Athletic Center)
  • October 20, 2016: Cleveland, Ohio (Wolstein Center)
  • October 21, 2016: Grand Rapids, Michigan (Deltaplex)
  • October 22, 2016: Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Eagles Ballroom)
  • October 23, 2016: St. Paul, Minnesota (Roy Wilkins Auditorium)
  • October 25, 2016: Sioux City, South Dakota (The District)
  • October 27, 2016: Missoula, Montana (Adams Center)
  • October 28, 2016: Garden City, Idaho (Revolution Event Center)
  • October 29, 2016: Reno, Nevada (Grand Sierra Resort)
  • October 31, 2016:  San Jose, California (Event Center @ San Jose University)
  • November 1, 2016: Las Vegas, Nevada (The Chelsea @ The Cosmopolitan)
  • November 3, 2016: El Paso, Texas (El Paso County Coliseum)
  • November 5, 2016: Corpus Christi, Texas (Concrete Street)
  • November 7, 2016: Birmingham, Alabama (Alabama Theater)
  • November 8, 2016: Greenville, South Carolina (Ben Secours Arena)
  • November 10, 2016: Fairfax, Virginia (Eagle Bank Arena)
  • November 11, 2016: Allentown, Pennsylvania (PPL Center)
  • November 12, 2016: University Park, Pennsylvania (Bryce Jordan Center)

You can purchase tickets on the band's website.

Excited to see the band's album performed in full? Who's going? We'll keep you updated on that new album they have on the backburner now. Only a matter of time.

Lady Gaga Announces New Album 'Joanne'

It's been a long time coming, but Lady Gaga's comeback album is finally here! After releasing 'Perfect Illusion' a week back (see our review here!), details of her next album Joanne have finally been revealed.

Gaga announced in an interview with Beats 1 Radio with Zane Lowe that her next album - the follow up to 2013's ARTPOP - is hopefully in its final hours of recording, sitting in the studio for the last 48 hours of the sessions for Joanne tinkering with things while mixing and mastering the record. In the interview, she also spoke about a few songs and revealed the release date.

Speaking on the latest single 'Perfect Illusion' and the bittersweet feeling of finishing the process, Gaga claimed that it's hard to leave it and part ways with producers Mark Ronson, BloodPop, and Tame Impala's Kevin Parker, but "this isn't the end, it's just the end of this moment... It's also the beginning of this moment, because we can share this with the world." Gaga goes on to talk about a collaborator on the album Hillary Lindsey who hasn't been mentioned before the interview.

Joanne gets its title from Gaga's late aunt, who died of lupus at only 19. The death truly shook her entire father's side of the family, and it's always been an important thing to her - her middle name is also Joanne. Gaga claimed the album's title track 'Joanne' is, appropriately, "the true heart and soul of the record," and while stepping away from her fame for awhile, she was able to bring together "the experiences of [my] family and our challenges that make us who we are. It’s everything about Joanne... It’s all the toughness of the pain of losing her that made us all strong and made us who we are. She is the woman of my past who is becoming and helping me bring more of my honest woman self into the future."

Gaga announced that the album will be out on October 21, 2016 via Interscope/Streamline. She went on to talk about some songs on the album, including surprising collaborations: 'John Wayne' features Queens Of The Stone Age's guitarist Josh Homme and Father John Misty features on 'Sinner's Prayer' are the notable ones she mentioned. She always discussed the influences of Bollywood and country influences with Nashville singer Hillary Lindsey on the record.

Excited for the return of Gaga?! We'll review it as soon as it's dropped. Listen to the interview below and listen to 'Perfect Illusion' above, too.

Site Changes + Announcing Throwback Reviews

Hi guys! In case you haven't noticed, the site has changed in last month or so. It's finally at a stable place where we're done updating (for now) and can share what we've been up to.

Here's what's new:

  • New Template - We've made the site's look a lot more fine and compact.
  • Easier Navigation - Instead of cluttering the Navigation Bar link section with all the different categories, you can conveniently find a list of all the types of reviews and news in the right half of the navigation bar.
  • Instagram Page - It's been up for awhile, but in case you haven't seen it. we are now on Instagram! Be sure to follow our page.
  • New Staff - We have a new writer who's shy; she'll write something eventually. 

We've been thinking of ways to make the site's content fresh and current, so we're introducing TBT Reviews! Every Thursday we'll be reviewing an older album instead of a new one, which we haven't done much of. This'll open up a lot more ground for content we can share with you guys - there's been plenty of requests for reviews of older records and now we can comply!

That's all for now. Thanks for reading our content and coming back again to read more. Be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to make sure you don't miss the latest reviews and news!

Sia Teases Mysterious New Single

It's hard to be enigmatic in the world of pop, but Sia has always has mystery surrounding her. That mystery continues as she has now started teasing a new single!

The artist has uploaded a 14 second clip to her VEVO channel, titled "The Greatest - Coming Sept. 6 - #weareyourchildren" consisting of a droning sound as the camera pans onto her go to dancing girl Maddie Ziegler lying in a pile of bodies. She slowly opens her eyes at the end of the clip before the last two seconds of the clip features what's presumably the beginning of Sia's new single, 'The Greatest'.

The single is preceding her tour that starts in Seattle, Washington on September 29. Sia has previously teased the hashtag #wearethechildren on Twitter, as well as 'The Greatest', but it was speculated the hashtag was the name of the song and she would be releasing a greatest hits record. It seems the hashtag is more of a campaign, and the video coming on September 6 will have a message backing it.

What do you think is coming? Is this a one-off single, or is something bigger coming with the release? Be here on September 6 to find out!

Lady Gaga's New Single Coming Next Week?

Over the past few years, Lady Gaga has taken some time away from the limelight. Ever since her collaborative jazz album in 2014 - Cheek To Cheek with the legendary Tony Bennett - and an isolated single release last year, Gaga has kept relatively quiet since the hype of the album simmered down. People began asking "What happened to Gaga?" before earlier this year, at the 2016 GRAMMYs where she performed a breathtaking and awe-inspiring tribute to the late David Bowie.

Now, thanks to the detective work of her fans, a brand new Lady Gaga single may be near! A user at the fansite GagaDaily recently uncovered two pages, with the category /perfectillusion tacked at the end. One page revealed inconclusive results, while the other may have given away a release date!

If you type in /perfectillusion2 as an extension to Gaga's website, you'll find the words "NEW SINGLE / PERFECT / ILLUSION / SEPTEMBER 9" written across the screen. It seems Lady Gaga is planning to release her latest single, 'Perfect Illusion' on September 9 - next Friday! 

The pop star's fans are already eating up the news - a GoFundMe campaign has started and asks for $10,000 in order to get Gaga's single to the number one spot on the iTunes chart by manipulating iTunes and buying thousands of copies of the song. 

Are you ready for Gaga to make a musical comeback? It's been a long while since a major release from the pop queen has blessed the radio. 'Perfect Illusion' is rumored to be out on September 9 - don't miss our review on it!

Memphis May Fire Release New Single + Album Details

Post-hardcore outfit Memphis May Fire has kept things under wraps lately, but details of their next album are finally here! This Light I Hold is due out later this year.

The band keeps the music heavy and their messages personal, bordering Christian Metal. But that's by no means anything bad; Memphis May Fire writes some of the most heartfelt songs in the genre. Their last album was 2014's Conditional, which had some amazing music. This Light I Hold is the follow up, and even the title promises something great.

The album's first single also shows that. 'Carry On' is a big an eclectic track, beginning with a big instrumental and a brutal first verse complete with unrelenting screams from frontman Matty Mullins, trading off with cleanly sung chorus. The bridge is a quiet moment before the song concludes in one more hopeful burst of noise. The message is uplifting: nothing can hold you back, and that you can fight for what you believe in.

The album will be out on October 28, 2016 via Rise Records. The album features guest spots from Papa Roach's Jacoby Shaddix and the former vocalist for the rock band My American HeartLarry Soliman. You can purchase bundles which include vinyl, cassette, and exclusive merch from the album's website. The album's art and tracklist are as follows:

  1. Out Of It
  2. Carry On
  3. Wanting More
  4. Severing The Ties
  5. The Enemy
  6. This Light I Hold (ft. Jacoby Shaddix)
  7. That's Just Life
  8. Letting Go
  9. The Antidote
  10. Better Things
  11. Not Over Yet (ft. Larry Soliman)
  12. Unashamed
  13. Live It Well

Excited for the new record? Be sure to look out for our review of it, and the new single 'Carry On'.

You Me At Six Reveal 2017 Album Details + UK Tour

Alternative rockers You Me At Six are finally back with new music. Their follow up to their big 2014 effort Cavalier Youth is sounding big and confident, and it'll be bringing 2017 into a big stride.

The band has Night People penned in for a release on January 13, 2017. The band worked on the record this year in Nashville alongside producer Jacquire King, known for working with Kings Of Leon

Along with the album announcement came the release of the new single 'Night People', the album's title track. It has an almost punk rock appeal to it and sounds huge - definitely a crowd pleaser we'll hopefully be seeing on their upcoming UK Tour - more details on that below.

Night People is out on January 13, via Virgin Records. Pre-orders are available on their website, with bundles and formats including vinyl, digital, CD, and even cassette. The album's art and tracklist is as follows:

  1. Night People
  2. Plus One
  3. Heavy Soul
  4. Take On The World
  5. Brand New
  6. Swear
  7. Make Your Move
  8. Can’t Hold Back
  9. Spell It Out
  10. Give

Alongside the album announcement came the announcement of a massive UK Headlining Tour, spanning all of October. Indie rock band Vant will be supporting the band on the tour. The tour dates are as follows, and you can purchase tickets here.

  • October 4, 2016: Bristol, England (Bristol O2 Academy)
  • October 5, 2016: Folkestone, England (Leas Cliff Hall)
  • October 6, 2016: Swansea, Wales (Brangwyn Hall)
  • October 9, 2016: Belfast, Northern Ireland (The Limelight)
  • October 10, 2016: Dublin, Ireland (The Academy)
  • October 13, 2016: Nottingham, England (Rock City)
  • October 14, 2016: Oxford, England (O2 Academy)
  • October 15, 2016: Cambridge, England (Corn Exchange)
  • October 17, 2016: Inverness, Scotland (Ironworks)
  • October 18, 2016: Leeds, England (O2 Academy)
  • October 19, 2016: Liverpool, England (Guild Of Students)
  • October 20, 2016: Sheffield, England (O2 Academy)
  • October 21, 2016: Middlesbrough, England (Empire)
  • October 23, 2016: Southampton, England (O2 Guildhall)
  • October 24, 2016: London, England (O2 Shepherds Bush Empire)

Excited for new YMAS music? Don't miss our review on the new single 'Night People', coming soon!

American Football Announce First Album in Nearly Two Decades

The emo rock legends from Chicago American Football are finally following up their debut LP! The band will release their second eponymous debut American Football on October 21 of this year.

American Football is something of a myth in punk rock. They defined the structure of what their brand of music would become, morphing varied tie signatures, confessions in the form of spoken word, and math rock into some revolutionary hybrid. After the release of their debut 1999 LP (also titled American Football), they decided to stop recording together and eventually became inactive.

The band returned to the spotlight in 2014 when they reformed to perform at the Pygmalion Music Festival in Chicago and a series of headline dates, and have been active ever since. They recorded their new album earlier this year.

The band have shared the first new song from the record, 'I've Been Lost For So Long', which starts with reverberating guitars and a driven beat under vocalist Mike Kinsella's warm vocals. The time signature changes in the chourses, showing that the band's creativity and style hasn't faltered in all of these years.

American Football will be released on October 21 via Polyvinyl in the United States and Wichita in Europe and the UK. The album artwork and tracklist is as follows:

  1. Where Are We Now? 
  2. My Instincts Are The Enemy
  3. Home Is Where The Haunt Is
  4. Born To Lose
  5. I've Been So Lost For So Long
  6. Give Me The Gun
  7. I Need A Drink (Or Two Or Three) 
  8. Desire Gets In The Way
  9. Everyone Is Dressed Up

American Football has a few tour dates spanning over the next few months in both the United States an United Kingdom - see them here. Check out our review of the band's new single 'I've Been Lost For So Long' too!

Architects Guitarist Dies After 3-Year Battle With Cancer

English post-hardcore outfit Architects has lost on of it's founding members. Guitarist Tom Searle has passed away after a three-year battle with cancer. He was 28.

The band was amidst their tour for their new record All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us, released earlier this year. The album has been critically acclaimed and is revered as the band's best record so far. Several tour dates have were cancelled earlier on the cycle, including European and U.S. Headlining appearances, as a result of Searle's illness.

A statement posted on Facebook by twin brother and bandmate Dan Searle reads:

It is with unbelievable pain and sadness that I have to announce that at around twelve minutes past midnight on August 20th my amazing brother, Tom, passed away after over 3 years living with cancer.
He was an incredible songwriter and guitarist. He was my closest and oldest friend. He was a funny, intelligent and sweet man and he leaves an enormous void in all of our lives.

Many of you will be aware that Tom has been absent from various shows over the past 15 months and I can now let you know that this was due to various surgeries that he had to have to treat the cancer. When we left for our European Festival tour on June 2nd Tom was very unwell. He had been advised to stay in hospital to receive care but ultimately there was nothing that they could do for him and he signed himself out of the ward two days before we departed for Germany. Some of you might view this as reckless but this is the way Tom wanted to do things throughout his last year because he never wanted the cancer to get in the way of what he loved. He got on stage and performed his last two shows at Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park, which took him an incredible amount of strength but those are two shows that we will never forget.

We had to cancel our European festival tour and US headline tour because on June 8th, in Luxembourg, Tom was extremely sick, we called an ambulance and he was taken into ICU. The following day he was placed into a medically induced coma and the doctors told us that it was unlikely that they’d ever be able to wake him. Five days later, against all the odds, he was awake again, and in a few short days following that, myself and Tom cancelled the air ambulance that was due to take him home and we got the Eurostar train home. Classic Tom Searle.
He spent the last 2 months of his life fighting with everything he had to overcome the disease once and for all, and things appeared to be moving in the right direction, but in the last 2 weeks it suddenly took a turn for the worse and finally he left us.
I don’t know what will become of Architects. Me and Tom started playing in a band together when we were 13 and, really, Architects is just an evolution of the band that we started all the way back then, over half my life ago. To pretend that Tom wasn’t at the heart of everything that the band created would be to show a complete lack of respect to the amazing talent that he was. The band will never be the same and there is simply no denying it.

We will 100% tour All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us, there is no doubt about that. We will be going to Australia in a few weeks and we will be doing our UK and European headline tour in October and November. We hope that these shows will be an opportunity for everyone out there to show their respects to my wonderful brother. It won’t be easy for us to get on stage and play every night without him, but its something that we must do.

We want to carry on, that is important to say, and we will strive to do so, but we will not release any music unless we truly believe that it is something that Tom would have been proud of. Whether or not we can achieve that is something that we will have to discover in time.

For now we need to begin to process what has happened. Myself, Sam, Ali and Adam will need time to fully come to terms with the loss of our brother and we hope that everyone out there will continue to respect our privacy during this terribly difficult time.
— Facebook

The band has started a donation page for the hospice that cared for Tom through his illness, the Marlets Hospice. You can donate here.

Architects will continue the tour without Tom in September when they head to Australia; see all of their tour dates here. A fill-in guitarist has not yet been announced. Read our review for All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us, too - it's one of our favorite records of the year.

Rest in peace, Tom Searle.