British post-punk group Wire have just announced their next album. Their 13th LP will be a self-titled album, and they plan to release it on April 21st through their own record label, pinkflag. It will be the band’s first album of entirely new songs since 2011’s Red Barked Tree, and the follow-up to their 2013 album, Change Becomes Us, a record that was comprised of updated versions of unfinished songs from their earlier periods. Recording on the self-titled album took place at Rockfield Studios near Monmouth, Wales.
Wire is often considered one of the most important bands for forming the shape of British post-punk, along with contemporaries like The Fall and Gang of Four. Formed by a quartet of Watford Art College students in 1976, the group then released the album, Pink Flag, a year later, which is regularly considered a classic for the genre. Following up with the similarly acclaimed Chairs Missing and 154, the group has mostly remained active besides two lengthy hiatuses (one in 1980-1985, and another between 1992-1999) for the last 38 years. The band is known for their characteristic sound that use minimalist designs, yet still communicates rich and complex music, as well as for frontman Colin Newman’s acerbic lyrics.
Although primarily considered a “punk” group, their raw and abrasive elements have actually evolved into more symphonic constructs for their latter albums, and much of their work in the ’80s could even be considered new wave. They are one of the few post-punk groups of their era that is still releasing critically acclaimed albums today. Two singles have currently been released for the album, “Joust & Jostle” and “Split Your Ends,” which are currently available through Soundcloud. It has also been revealed that the closing track on the album is “Harpooned,” a sludgecore-esque song that they have been playing live for a while now.
The band has announced a new tour to go along with the album release as well. It will take place across both America and the United Kingdom. Wire’s track listing is as follows: 01. “Blogging,” 02. “Shifting,” 03. “Burning Bridges,” 04. “In Manchester,” 05. “High,” 06. “Sleep-Walking,” 07. “Joust & Jostle,” 08. “Swallow,” 09. “Split Your Ends,” 10. “Octopus,” 11. “Harpooned.”
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