Today Manchester Orchestra have released the lead singles “The Way” from their upcoming album The Valley of Vision which will be released on April 7. “The Way” illustrates the journey of losing one’s mind and finding it again. Through a ghostly haze of reverb, fear and pathological feelings, singer Andy Hull‘s voice rises into a guttural and goosebump-inducing belt, carrying the arrangement of piano and electronic drum beats to a cathartic crescendo.

The lyrics tell a vivid story that Hull had struggled to present since first writing it in 2019 but he credits the track’s additional producers Jamie Martens, Catherine Marks and Ethan Gruska with helping him to finally shape it.

“The Way” is accompanied by a captivating cinematic experience that is presented in the groundbreaking format of 180-degree, 3D virtual reality.  The video is Directed by Isaac Deitz  who shot the film over a solitary, year-long journey through snow storms in the Rocky Mountains, dark nights in the deep woods of Wyoming, creek beds in Manchester Orchestra‘s native Georgia and climates both scorching and freezing.

In the press release Deitz discusses the meaning behind the video.

“Experiencing the film in its intended 180-degree, 3D VR format feels like downloading a dream into your head. Each symbol represents a different experience nested in our internal worlds; it’s up to you whether you want to just enjoy them, or try to interpret what the dream means.”

On the heels of four sold-out screening events in Los Angeles and New York City in recent weeks, Manchester Orchestra and Consequence will present The Valley of Vision’s global premiere on their YouTube channel this Thursday, March 9.

Beginning at 7:45pm EST, the livestream of the full project will also include the first-ever After Party that YouTube Music has ever done for a film premiere, where band members and co-producers Hull and McDowell will be joined by  Deitz to discuss the making of The Valley of Vision, in addition to answering questions from fans.

The Valley of Vision will also screen during SXSW, at The Carpenter Hotel’s Quonset Hut on Thursday, March 16 (12-4pm), and two sold-out shows at London’s Union Chapel on May 13-14 following the band’s hometown return to Atlanta’s Shaky Knees on May 5.

Photo Credit: Alexander Cabrera