Nation Of Language share new single "Sole Obsession," announce fall tour with Miss Grit

Brooklyn-based trio Nation Of Language have shared a new single and music video, “Sole Obsession.” It’s another glittering, new wave-inspired synthpop track from the band, with affected vocals similar to Talking Heads and bouncy drums that recall The Human League. “Sole Obsession” marks their first release of 2023 and is the first taste of their anticipated third album. The song comes with a music video shot on 16mm, directed by John MacKay. The band share:

In simplest terms, ‘Sole Obsession’ is one about knowing when, or if, to give in or give up. Particularly, when to untie the knots we tie ourselves into when an infatuation sets in. So many of us have experienced an addictive feeling that constricts us further and further until, hopefully, there’s a moment of clarity that allows one to free themself from that particular compulsion. The title of our next album, Strange Disciple, is a lyric from ‘Sole Obsession’ which references a character of such a nature; one who finds themself an adherent to a subject that is probably not worth the devotion.

We chose to represent this with an anonymous robed figure that lives within all of us, waiting for us to don the cloak and take up our role, and we worked with John Mackay to bring the Disciple to life in the music video. Taking cinematic inspiration from Maya Deren’s Meshes of the Afternoon (1943) as well as Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal (1958), the Disciple is depicted as one of us, and we in turn are depicted as the Disciple.

Check out “Sole Obsession” below.

Nation Of Language have also announced a fall tour with Miss Grit (who just released their debut album) that kicks off October 13 in Pittsburgh and wraps up December 2 in Toronto. Before that, they’ve got a few spring dates, including West Coast shows with Reggie Watts and NYC’s Brooklyn Steel on May 4 with Gustaf.

They’ve also got festival appearances including Primavera Sound, Day In Day Out, and Outside Lands. All dates are listed below.

Nation Of Language — 2023 Live Dates
4/28 – Baltimore, MD – Ottobar
5/4 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel^
5/17 – Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre*
5/18 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile*
5/19 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile*
6/2 – Barcelona, ES – Primavera Sound Barcelona
6/6 – Madrid, ES – Primavera In The City
6/9 – Madrid, ES – Primavera Sound Madrid
6/11 – Hilvarenbeek, NL – Best Kept Secret
6/14 – London, UK – KOKO
8/11-8/13 – San Francisco, CA – Outside Lands
8/12 – Portland, OR – Revolution Hall
8/13 – Seattle, WA – Day In Day Out
8/14 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre
10/13 – Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Small’s Theatre#
10/14 – Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop#
10/16 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon#
10/18 – Milwaukee, WI – Back Room @ Colectivo#
10/19 – St. Paul, MN – Amsterdam Bar & Hall#
10/20 – Kansas City, MO – RecordBar#
10/22 – Denver, CO – Gothic#
10/23 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge#
10/29 – San Diego, CA – Belly Up Tavern#
10/30 – Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom#
11/2 – Austin, TX – Scoot Inn#
11/3 – Fort Worth, TX – Tulips FTX#
11/4 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall – Upstairs#
11/7 – Nashville, TN – Basement East#
11/8 – Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle#
11/9 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle#
11/10 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer#
11/30 – Boston, MA – The Sinclair#
12/1 – Montreal, QC – Studio TD#
12/2 – Toronto, ON – Phoenix#

^w/ Gustaf
*w/ Reggie Watts
# w/ Miss Grit