James has announced the release of their new album Living In Extraordinary Times. Released on 3rd August, the album is produced by Mercury and Brit Award winner Charlie Andrew (whose previous work includes alt-J and Wolf Alice) and rising star Beni Giles.
Living In Extraordinary Times follows the release of their recent Better Than That EP, the band’s first new music since their hugely successful 2016 album ‘Girl at the End of the World’, which debuted at number two in the UK album charts, second only to Adele – their highest debut entry in nearly twenty years.
This is the band’s 15th studio album, and delivers the same vigour and urgency as its predecessors, a fusion of social commentary and personal reflection, covering everything from the current political climate in America in frustration-charged ‘Hank’ – “This crack heads tiny fingers, Accusing you of what he’ll do, White fascists in the white house, More beetroot in your Russian stew” – to lonesome Father’s Day in heartfelt ‘Coming Home (Pt. 2)’, the latter of which also features keyboard from long-time collaborator Brian Eno.
Tim Booth said: “We knew something was up when Leicester city won the league then Brexit, then Trump. It is as if we’d slipped into an alternate reality, a Philip K Dick reality. We are living in extraordinary times.”
The album started life during jam sessions at Sheffield’s Yellow Arch Studios and finished recording at Iguana Studios in Brixton. Beni was already working with the band on creating a new rhythmical approach when Charlie joined the project after being blown away by the band live. “This album is full of big tunes,” Andrew states. “Tim and the guys are all very good at writing huge hooks. There’s some really big, energetic tracks and some nice, chilled ones. There are some monstrous tracks, like ‘Hank’, which is just vast with layers and layers of drums.”
The striking album artwork was created by contemporary artist and former Vivienne Westwood designer Magnus Gjoen. Gjoen draws inspiration from street and pop art aesthetics, juxtaposing them with fine art. His work challenges preconceived notions of objects, exploring the stark contrast between power and fragility – something which is potentially extremely destructive can be made into beautiful yet fragile objects of art, tying in with the themes of the album by exploring the space between politics and tranquillity.
Listen to ‘Hank’ – BELOW:
Living In Extraordinary Times will be available as a CD, download, cassette, and heavyweight double vinyl plus a hardback booked deluxe CD featuring 4 extra tracks – 3 demos plus 1 track from the album sessions. HMV and indies will also stock a limited grey gatefold package featuring double magenta coloured vinyl.
STANDARD EDITION TRACKLIST
Hank
Coming Home (Pt.2)
Leviathan
Heads
Many Faces
How Hard The Day
Extraordinary Times
Picture Of This Place
Hope To Sleep
Better Than That
Mask
What’s It All About
HARDBACK CD EDITION TRACKLIST
Hank
Coming Home (Pt.2)
Leviathan
Heads
Many Faces
How Hard The Day
Extraordinary Times
Picture Of This Place
Hope To Sleep
Better Than That
Mask
What’s It All About
Backward Glances (bonus track)
Moving Car (demo)
Overdose (demo)
Trouble (demo)
Today sees James embark on a seven-date sold out UK tour, re-visiting intimate venues across the country, performing tracks from Better Than That EP and the forthcoming album plus a selection of well-known hits. The tour starts at Llandudno’s Venue Cymru on Wednesday 16th May followed by Warrington, Blackburn, Halifax, Middlesbrough and Oban, ending at Scunthorpe’s Baths Hall on Friday 25th May.
The band are then set to play a string of shows in the summer, starting with Common People Festival, co-headlining the Southampton event on Saturday 26th May and headlining Oxford on Sunday 27th May before going on to perform at a handful of festivals across the UK, as well as playing European festivals including Bilbao BBK Live in Spain on Saturday 14th July.
MAY TOUR (Support from Lanterns On The Lake)
WEDNESDAY 16th MAY Llandudno, Venue Cymru – SOLD OUT
THURSDAY 17th MAY Warrington, Parr Hall – SOLD OUT
SATURDAY 19th MAY Blackburn, King Georges – SOLD OUT
SUNDAY 20th MAY Halifax, Victoria Theatre – SOLD OUT
TUESDAY 22nd MAY Middlesbrough, Town Hall – SOLD OUT
WEDNESDAY 23rd MAY Oban, Corran Hall – SOLD OUT
FRIDAY 25th MAY Scunthorpe, Baths Hall – SOLD OUT
FESTIVALS
MAY
SATURDAY 26th MAY Common People – Southampton (co-headlining)
SUNDAY 27th MAY Common People – Oxford (headlining)
JUNE
FRIDAY 29th JUNE Rock In Rio Festival – Lisbon
JULY
FRIDAY 13th JULY Latitude Festival – Suffolk (headlining 2nd Stage)
SATURDAY 14th JULY Bilbao BBK Live – Spain
FRIDAY 27th JULY Kendal Calling – Cumbria (main support)
AUGUST
SATURDAY 11th AUGUST Party at the Palace – West Lothian (headlining)
THURSDAY 30th AUGUST Electric Fields – Dumfries and Galloway (headlining)
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