M. Ward Surprises Fans With Release Of New Album What a Wonderful Industry

M. Ward surprised fans today with the release of his new album What A Wonderful Industry. The new album is the follow up to his 2016’s critically acclaimed solo album, More Rain, with mxdwn stating the record was lyrically and instrumentally stirring. Ward’s last album was Christmas Party, with fellow bandmate Zooey Deschanel as She & Him.

In a press release, Deschanel talks about Ward’s new record, stating “This is a record inspired by people in the industry I have known – heroes and villains in equal measure. She continues to say; “There’s some beautiful moments when you travel for a living, and I’m grateful for being part of an industry that’s taken me around the world so many times – but you quickly learn there’s a perfectly imperfect balance of cold-blooded and warm-blooded animals in the zoo. This record visits the most memorable characters. There’s a lot of very inspirational people I’ve had the pleasure to work with but there are also a few I wish I’d never met. It all tragically ends with an imaginary Griffin Mill-inspired murder ballad.”

Ward himself also talked about the album, stating “This album is a reminder to keep your friends close, your enemies closer and don’t let the ones that just need an extra couple hours of therapy bring you down. Anyway I hope you like it. All names have been changed to protect the innocent.” Check out the tracklist and album artwork below.

What A Wonderful Industry Tracklist:
  1. Arrivals Chorus
  2. Miracle Man*
  3. Shark
  4. Motorcycle Ride
  5. El Rancho
  6. Sit Around the House
  7. Kind of Human
  8. A Mind Is the Worst Thing to Waste
  9. Return to Neptune’s Net
  10. Poor Tom
  11. War & Peace
  12. Bobby (featuring Jim James)

Ward is also hitting the road in support of the album, opening for The Decemberists. The tour kicked off last night in Philadelphia and will hit other major cities across North America including Brooklyn, Seattle, and his hometown Portland, OR. He will also be playing some festivals in between, including San Francisco’s Stern Grove Festival, and Quebec City’s Festival d’été de Québec July 8th. See the rest of the tour dates below.

M Ward 2018 Tour Dates :
June 8 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall *
June 9 – Burlington, VT – The Green at Shelburne Museum *
June 10 – Portland, ME – State Theatre *
June 12 – Red Bank, NJ – Count Basie Theatre *
June 13 – Brooklyn, NY – BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival *
June 15 – Bethlehem, PA – MusikFest Cafe at ArtsQuest Center
June 16 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
June 18 – Calgary, AB – Bella Concert Hall
June 20 – Vancouver, BC – The Imperial
June 21 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre *
June 22 – Portland, OR – McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheatre *
June 23 – Portland, OR – McMenamins Edgefield Amphitheatre *
July 1 – San Francisco, CA – Stern Grove Festival #
July 8 – Quebec City, QC – Festival d’été de Québec !
July 10 – Ottawa, ON – Ottawa Bluesfest ^
July 11 – Toronto, ON – Mod Club
July 13 – Ithaca, NY – The Haunt
July 14 – Woodstock, NY – Bearsville Theatre
July 15 – Portsmouth, NH – Prescott Park Arts Festival
*supporting The Decemberists
# w/ Thao & The Get Down Stay Down
! w/ Shawn Mendes, The War on Drugs, Frank Turner and more
^ w/ Foo Fighters, Greta Van Fleet and more
Roy Lott: College grad and aspiring music journalist. I have a passion for all things music, listen to most genres and go to many shows and festivals (if the lineup is good). Discovering new music and artists is another habit of mine that I can't shake.
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