Belle & Sebastian announce new LP & tour, share "Unnecessary Drama"
Belle & Sebastian have announced A Bit of Previous, their first studio album in seven years (not counting the 2019 Days of Bagnold Summer soundtrack). It’s out May 6 via Matador and you can preorder the vinyl with Indie Exclusive cover art now. After plans to head to Los Angeles in 2020 fell through because of 2020, the band recorded in their hometown of Glasgow.
“We did it together, us and the city,” says bandleader Stuart Murdoch in the album’s liner notes. “This record was the first ‘full’ LP recording for B&S in Glasgow since Fold Your Hands Child, 1999. We clocked in every morning, we played our songs, we wrote together, we tried new things, we took the proverbial lump of clay, and we threw it every day.”
The first single off the album is “Unnecessary Drama,” which is as close to riffy, crunchy power pop as they’ve ever attempted, with Stevie Jackson on wailing harmonica (shades of Johnny Marr). “The song is about a young person experimenting in being a human again after a forced hiatus”, says Murdoch. “The person is weighing up whether or not it’s worth the mess! Still, you dip your toe in and it becomes delicious, and you get too much of it. Between trouble and nothing, we still choose the trouble.” You can watch the video
A Bit of Previous is available in four different album covers and you can check out composite of all four covers and the album tracklist below. You can preorder the Indie Exclusive vinyl now.
Belle and Sebastian have also announce 2022 tour dates including a North American run in late spring that has them out with Divino Niño, Thee Sacred Souls, and Los Bitchos at various stops. All dates are listed below.
The NYC show is at SummerStage at Central Park on June 16 with Los Bitchos. Tickets for all dates of the tour go on sale Friday, March 4 at 10 AM local time.
A Bit Of Previous tracklist
1. Young And Stupid
2. If They’re Shooting At You
3. Talk To Me Talk To Me
4. Reclaim The Night
5. Do It For Your Country
6. Prophets On Hold
7. Unnecessary Drama
8. Come On Home
9. A World Without You
10. Deathbed Of My Dreams
11. Sea Of Sorrow
12. Working Boy In New York City
Belle & Sebastian – 2022 Tour Dates:
May-24: Rabbit Rabbit, Asheville *
May-25: TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park, Indianapolis *
May-26: The Riviera Theatre, Chicago *
May-27: Palace Theatre, Minneapolis *
May-28: The Admiral, Omaha *
May-31: Paramount Theatre, Seattle +
Jun-1: Roseland Theater, Portland +
Jun-3: Greek Theatre, Berkeley %
Jun-4: Greek Theatre, LA %
Jun-5: Pappy and Harriet’s, Pioneertown +
Jun-7: The Van Buren, Phoenix +
Jun-8: The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing Company +
Jun-10: The Criterion, Oklahoma City +
Jun-11: Stubb’s Waller Creek, Austin #
Jun-13: Ryman Auditorium, Nashville #
Jun-14: Red Hat Amphitheater, Raleigh ^
Jun-15: Wolf Trap, Vienna ^
Jun-16: SummerStage, Central Park, NY #
Jun-17: Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia #
Jun-18: Roadrunner, Boston #
Jul-15 Bristol, UK Lloyds Amphitheatre, Bristol Harbourside
Jul-16 Stirling, UK Cardross Estate, Doune The Rabbit Hole
Nov-13 Cardiff, UK Great Hall – Student’s Union
Nov-14 London, UK The Roundhouse
Nov-15 London, UK The Roundhouse
Nov -17 Sheffield, UK O2 Academy Sheffield
Nov-18 Liverpool, UK Olympia
Nov -19 Hull, UK Asylum, Hull University Union
Nov-21 Aberdeen, UK Beach Ballroom
Nov-23 Edinburgh, UK Usher Hall
Nov-24 Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK O2 City Hall, Newcastle
Nov-25 Manchester, UK Manchester Academy
Nov-27 Cambridge, UK Corn Exchange
Nov-28 Birmingham, UK O2 Academy Birmingham
Nov-29 Southampton, UK O2 Guildhall Southampton
Nov-30 Brighton, UK Brighton Dome
* with Divino Niño
+ with Thee Sacred Souls
% with Tennis and Thee Sacred Souls
# with Los Bitchos
+ with Japanese Breakfast and Los Bitchos
2023 Tour Dates:
Jan-10 France, Paris, Casino de Paris
Jan-11 Holland, Utrecht, Tivoli Grote Zaal
Jan-14 Germany, Hamburg, Laeiszhalle
Jan-16 Sweden, Gothenburg Tradgarn
Jan-17 Sweden, Stockholm Filadelfia
Jan-18 Norway, Oslo Sentrum Scene
Jan-19 Denmark, Copenhagen Vega
Jan-21 Germany, Berlin Tempodrom
Jan-22 Germany, Munich Muffathalle
Jan-23 Switzerland, Zurich X-tra Limmathaus
Jan-25 France, Clermont-Ferrand, Co-op de Mai
Jan-26 Italy, Milan Fabrique
