PJ Harvey Announces Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea Reissue and Demo for February 2021 Release

PJ Harvey will be re-issuing her 2000 studio album Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea along with its demos on February 26 via UME and Island. The upcoming record will be placed on CD, 180g black vinyl and digital platforms.

A demo version of “This Mess We’re In” has also been released and sees Harvey solemnly singing over some restrained guitar chords that gradually build into more melancholy. Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea was critically acclaimed upon its release and is one of Harvey’s best-selling studio albums, in addition to being considered one of her best works.

Harvey has been re-releasing her entire back catalog and began with the release of demos from her debut studio album Dry, which came out in 1992. She later re-released Rid of Me last August and will be releasing Is This Desire on January 29. Both of these records will host demo releases as well, with Rid of Me featuring four-track recordings.

“Dry is clearly a spiritual journey, but Harvey leaves the destination intentionally ambiguous,” mxdwn reviewer Burke Josin explained. “On one hand, the album title could be a reference to Harvey’s spiritual dehydration–she feels lost, angry and alone and wishes for nothing but to be revitalized, cleansed anew by holy water. Does the album represent Harvey finally coming to terms with her flaws and being washed clean of them, or is it a dirge lamenting her inability to grow from her mistakes?”

Harvey’s latest studio album, The Hope Six Demolition Project, came out in 2016 via Island Records.

Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea track list

Side 1

1. Big Exit
2. Good Fortune
3. A Place Called Home
4. One Line
5. Beautiful Feeling
6. The Whores Hustle And The Hustlers Whore

Side 2

1. This Mess We’re In
2. You Said Something
3. Kamikaze
4. This Is Love
5. Horses In My Dreams
6. We Float

Demos

Side 1

1. Big Exit – Demo
2. Good Fortune – Demo
3. A Place Called Home – Demo
4. One Line – Demo
5. Beautiful Feeling – Demo
6. The Whores Hustle And The Hustlers Whore – Demo

Side 2

1. This Mess We’re In – Demo
2. You Said Something – Demo
3. Kamikaze – Demo
4. This Is Love – Demo
5. Horses In My Dreams – Demo
6. We Float – Demo