Swedish singer-songwriter Jens Lekman has announced his fourth studio album Life Will See You Now, which will be released via Secretly Canadian on February 17, 2017. He will bring back his heartfelt but slyly humorous pop style on the album, which deals in notions of identity and self.
The follow-up to 2012’s I Know What Love Isn’t was produced by Ewan Pearson (M83, The Chemical Brothers). The album promises a more upbeat and expansive sound compared with its predecessor, and experiments with rhythms from styles like samba, disco, calypso and bossa nova.
The first single, “What’s That Perfume That You Wear?” showcases these new influences, sampling steel pans from “The Path,” a 1978 cut from legendary percussionist Ralph MacDonald.
The video, which uses a shattered vase as a metaphor for a relationship, was directed by Christopher Good. As he describes putting the pieces back together as “all a jumble now and won’t hold water any longer.”
Life Will See You Now
1. To Know Your Mission
2. Evening Prayer
3. Hotwire The Ferris Wheel
4. What’s That Perfume That You Wear?
5. Our First Fight
6. Wedding in Finistère
7. How We Met, The Long Version
8. How Can I Tell Him
9. Postcard #17
10. Dandelion Seed
Lekman elaborated on the album in a Facebook post:
In addition to the new album and single, Lekman will embark on a tour of the United States and Europe. The tour begins in Texas at the end of February and concludes in Oslo, Norway on April 9. Find tour dates below.
Jens Lenkman 2017 Tour
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Thu. Feb 23 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall (Downstairs)
Fri. Feb 24 – Austin, TX @ The Mohawk
Sat. Feb 25 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
Mon. Feb 27 – Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom
Tue. Feb 28 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
Fri. Mar. 3 – Portland, OR @ Revolution Hall
Sun. Mar. 5 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
Wed. Mar. 8 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe
Thu. Mar. 9 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
Fri. Mar. 10 – Columbus, OH @ Wexner Center for the Arts
Sat. Mar. 11 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
Mon. Mar. 13 @ Toronto, ON @ The Great Hall
Wed. Mar. 15 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
Thu. Mar. 16 – Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall
Fri. Mar. 17 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
Sat. Mar. 18 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
Sun. Mar. 19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Tue. Mar. 28 – Dublin, IE @ Whelans
Wed. Mar. 29 – London, UK @ Oval Space
Thu. Mar. 30 – Leeds, UK @ The Brudenell Social Club
Fri. Mar. 31 – Manchester, UK @ Band on the Wall
Sat. Apr. 1 – Glasgow, UK @ St. Luke’s Church
Mon. Apr. 3 – Stockholm, SE @ Vasateatern
Tue. Apr. 4 – Uppsala, SE @ Uppsala Konsert & Kongress
Wed. Apr. 5 – Malmo, SE @ KB
Thu. Apr 6 – Copenhagen, DK @ Studie 2
Fri. Apr. 7 – Orebro, SE @ Orebro Concert Hall
Sat. Apr. 8 – Gothenburg, SE @ Pustervik
Sun. Apr. 9 – Oslo, NO @ John Dee