Polica announce new album & tour, share 2 songs, playing Eaux Claires Hiver

Poliça have announced their first proper album since 2016’s United Crushers (which also follows their 2018 collaboration with s t a r g a z e, Music for the Long Emergency. It’s called When We Stay Alive, and it’s due January 31 via Memphis Industries. The first single is “Driving,” which pairs singer Channy Leaneagh’s soaring vocals with Ryan Olson’s brooding atmosphere and rubbery synths, and it’s about a pretty powerful topic. Via press release:

When Poliça’s singer Channy Leaneagh fell off her roof while clearing ice in early 2018, she smashed her L1 vertebrae and battered her spine, leaving her in a brace with limited mobility for months. Yet ‘When We Stay Alive’ is not about one debilitating accident. It’s about the redemptive power of rewriting your story in order to heal, and reclaiming your identity as a result. Of “Driving,” Leaneagh explains, “Laying in bed, as I healed, I would dream of running in green grass and tears would pour from my eyes. Running in the tall tear grass; imagine wanting life and the want remains. That is a feeling to hold onto, that life is worth living even when all signs point no.”

The press release also points out that half the album was written before the fall, and half afterwards, and it mentions that the album “features one of the largest musical casts of any Poliça record to date.” It continues, “To create the album, Olson brought his favorite collaborators into his studio for all-night sessions. He’d then send Leaneagh the files to write lyrics to while recovering at home, which she’d record alone or with engineer Alex Proctor.”

“Driving” comes with an Isaac Gale-directed video and a non-album B-side, “trash in bed,” which was co-produced by Boys Noize. Watch the video, listen to both songs, and check out the album artwork and tracklist, below.

Polica also announced a 2020 international tour, including a North American run with Wilsen that hits NYC on March 27 at Webster Hall. Tickets for that show go on sale Friday (10/11) at 10 AM with an AmEx presale starting today (10/9) at noon. All dates are listed below.

Polica (and Ryan Olson) are also playing Eaux Claires Hiver, a spinoff festival of Eaux Claires, the festival founded by Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) and Aaron Dessner (The National). Eaux Claires Hiver goes down November 21-24, 2019 at various venues in Eau Claire, WI with various events, collaborations, improvisation, and conversation from Vernon, Dessner, Ani DiFranco, Jon Hopkins, S. Carey, Pieta Brown, William Brittelle, JT Bates, Gail Ann Dorsey, hrrrbek, Elsa Jensen, La Force, Mike Lewis, Metropolis Ensemble, Shahzad Ismaily, Michael Perry, Talos, Korde Arrington Tuttle, and Jeremy Ylvisaker. Events include Bon Iver and TU Dance’s Come Through show, Ani DiFranco in conversation with Justin Vernon, and more. Tickets available at pablocentere.org. That’s the trailer above.

Polica – When We Stay Alive Tracklist
1. Driving
2. TATA
3. Fold Up
4. Feel Life
5. Little Threads
6. Be Again
7. Steady
8. Forget Me Now
9. Blood Moon
10. Sea Without Blue

Polica — 2019/2020 Tour Dates
10/11 – Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle (SOLD OUT)
10/12 – Milwaukee, WI – Flannel Fest
11/23 – Eau Claire, WI – Jamf Theater *
11/26-11/27 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th St Entry (SOLD OUT)
2/7 – Bristol, UK – Thekla
2/8- Manchester, UK – Gorilla
2/10- Glasgow, UK – St. Lukes
2/11- London, UK – Village Underground
2/12- Brighton, UK – Concorde 2
2/14- Paris, France – La Maroquinerie
2/15 – Brussels, Belgium – Botanique/Orangerie
2/16- Frankfurt, Germany – Zoom
2/18 – Cologne, Germany – Artheatre
2/19 – Hamburg, Germany – Gruenspan
2/21- Oslo, Sweden – John Dee
2/22- Stockholm, Sweden – Slaktkyrkan
2/24 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Little Vega
2/25 – Berlin, Germany – Columbia Theatre
2/27 – Warsaw, Poland – Hydrozagadka
2/28 – Vienna, Austria – WUK
2/29 – Munich, Germany – Hansa 39
3/1 – Milan, Italy – Santeria
3/3 – Barcelona, Spain – La Nau
3/4 – Madrid, Spain – Caracol
3/19 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon
3/20 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
3/21 – Detroit, MI – Deluxx Fluxx
3/23 – Toronto, OH – Horseshoe Tavern
3/24 – Montreal, QB – Bar Le Ritz
3/25 – Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
3/27 – New York City, NY – Webster Hall
3/28 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
3/29 – Washington, D.C. – 9:30 Club
3/31 – Columbus, OH – The Basement
4/1 – St. Louis, MO – Off Broadway
4/2 – Maquoketa, IA – Codfish Hollow Barn
4/10 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
4/16 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre
4/17 – Vancouver, BC – Venue
4/18 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
4/20 – Sacramento, CA – Harlow’s
4/21 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
4/22 – Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom
4/24 – Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom
4/25 – Albuquerque, NM – Sister
4/27 – Austin, TX – Scoot Inn
4/28 – Dallas, TX – Deep Ellum Art Co
4/29 – Oklahoma City, OK – 89th St
4/30 – Lawrence, KS – The Bottleneck
5/1 – Omaha, NE – Waiting Room
5/2 – Des Moines, IA – Vaudeville Mews

* Come Through: Tu Dance And Bon Iver