{"id":15550,"date":"2021-05-16T05:00:51","date_gmt":"2021-05-16T05:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=15550"},"modified":"2021-05-15T15:48:12","modified_gmt":"2021-05-15T15:48:12","slug":"manic-street-preachers-announce-new-album-uk-tour-dates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rpmonline.co.uk\/?p=15550","title":{"rendered":"MANIC STREET PREACHERS ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM & UK Tour Dates"},"content":{"rendered":"

Manic Street Preachers<\/strong>\u00a0return with their 14th<\/sup>\u00a0studio album\u00a0\u2018The Ultra Vivid Lament\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0on 3rd<\/sup>\u00a0September 2021 released on Columbia\/Sony and have announced a tour for this autumn.\u00a0\u2018Orwellian<\/strong>\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0–\u00a0<\/strong>the first track to be released (today – 14th May) – is classic Manic Street Preachers,\u00a0dissecting the misuse of words against cascading, glacial melody.<\/p>\n

Manic Street Preachers<\/strong>\u00a0on\u00a0Orwellian<\/strong>: \u201cThe track is about the battle to claim meaning, the erasing of context within debate, the overriding sense of factional conflict driven by digital platforms leading to a perpetual state of culture war. As with many songs on the record, it was written on the piano by James Dean\u00a0Bradfield.<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>Musically, it<\/em>\u00a0echo<\/em>es<\/em>\u00a0ABBA<\/em>, the majesty of Alan Rankine\u2019s playing in the Associates and\u00a0<\/em>Talk Talk<\/em>\u2019<\/em>s\u00a0<\/em>\u2018It\u2019s My Life\u2019 with a Lindsey Buckingham guitar solo. It felt like the perfect sonic and lyrical introduction to \u2018<\/em>The Ultra Vivid Lament<\/em><\/strong>\u2019.”<\/p>\n

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\u2018<\/strong>The Ultra Vivid Lament<\/strong>\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0is both reflection and reaction; a record that gazes in isolation across a cluttered room, fogged by often painful memories, to focus on an open window framing a gleaming vista of land melting into sea and endless sky.<\/p>\n

\u2018<\/strong>The Ultra Vivid Lament\u2019<\/strong>s\u2019<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>eleven tracks perfectly marry introspection, quiet rage and sublime, irresistible tunes. Those elements are there throughout, from the opening ambient hum of \u2018Snowing In Sapporo<\/strong>\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0to the galloping \u2018The Secret He Had Missed<\/strong>\u2019s\u2019 push-and-pull duet imagining dialogue between Welsh brother and sister artists Augustus and Gwen John; via \u2018Diapause<\/strong>\u2019s\u2019 sublime contemplation and \u2018Happy Bored Alone<\/strong>\u2019s\u2019 stoic wishful thinking.<\/p>\n

Musically, \u2018The Ultra Vivid Lament<\/strong>\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>is inspired by a formative years record box (ABBA, post-Eno Roxy, the Bunnymen, Fables-era REM, Lodger) though the end result could only be the unique union of James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire and Sean Moore, collectively one of the UK\u2019s most consistently brilliant rock\u2019n\u2019roll bands for over three decades.<\/p>\n

A departure from their last release (2018\u2019s\u00a0Resistance is Futile<\/em>), \u2018The Ultra Vivid Lament\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0is the first Manic Street Preachers album initially conceived on piano rather than guitar. It was recorded over winter 2020\/21 in Wales at Rockfield in Monmouth and the bands\u2019 Door to the River studio in Newport with long-time\u00a0collaborator Dave Eringa (The Who), before being mixed by David Wrench (Blossoms, Frank Ocean, Arlo Parks). The album features two guest vocalists: Julia Cumming (Sunflower Bean) on \u2018<\/span>The Secret He Had Missed\u2019<\/strong>\u00a0and Mark Lanegan on \u2018Blank Diary Entry\u2019<\/strong>. There are exclusive signed copies, picture disc vinyl and cassette on the official store, an exclusive version of the vinyl with alternate artwork available at HMV and an exclusive yellow version of the vinyl on Amazon.<\/p>\n

Following\u00a0Manic Street Preachers<\/strong>\u00a0longest enforced break from playing live, the group will take the album on a 14 date cross-country tour. Prior to these dates, they play some previously announced festival shows.\u00a0Support on all headline shows comes from The Anchoress (except Wembley).<\/p>\n

Pre-order \u2018The Ultra Vivid Lament\u2019 from the official store (https:\/\/manicstreetpreachers.lnk.to\/store<\/a>) to get early access to tickets for the tour, with a pre-sale starting on Weds 19th May at 10am. Tickets go on general sale on Friday 21st May at 10am –\u00a0further details here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Manic Street Preachers – The Ultra Vivid Lament\u00a0\/\/\u00a0<\/strong>Columbia<\/strong><\/span>\/Sony\u00a0– 03\/09\/21<\/strong><\/u><\/p>\n