The Atlanta-based alt-rock group, Manchester Orchestra, have announced the release of their fifth album to come out later this summer. A Black Mile To The Surface will be out July 28 via Loma Vista Records and marks the band’s first full-length release since Cope in 2014. The band has shared the music video for the lead single off the album, “The Gold.” Hull has said of the making A Black Mile:
We’re a band that loves to use heavy, crunchy guitars. We wondered how we could limit the use of that, so that when the guitars come in they can be creative and impactful. For Swiss Army Man we had to make seventy minutes of music with our hands tied behind our backs. When you’re creating all the sounds you need just from the human voice, it allows you to rethink what is possible, and determine what is really needed. We wanted to make an album in a ‘non-Manchester’ way if there is such a thing.
Throughout the recording, of A Black Mile to the Surface; Manchester Orchestra opened up their collaborative process and pushed themselves to go against their first instincts at every turn. Lyrically, Hull has found a new freedom in his lyrics by mirroring his personal experiences through fictional characters, examining the ultimately universal themes of family, shared history, hope, and valuing the time that we’re given.
The new record features production from Catherine Marks, who’s worked with PJ Harvey and The Killers among others, as well as renowned desk wizard John Congleton, who’s most recently contributed to records from Wild Beasts, Nelly Furtado and St. Vincent. Check out the album artwork and full tracklist below as well.
A Black Mile To The Surface trackless
01 The Maze
02 The Gold
03 The Moth
04 Lead, SD
05 The Alien
06 The Sunshine
07 The Grocery
08 The Wolf
09 The Mistake
10 The Parts
11 The Silence
photo credit Marv Watson
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