While You Were Away: Lamb Of God Announce New LP, New Music From Jack White, Blondie Announce First-Ever Box Set And More
It’s Monday again. Prepare for the week ahead with some hot coffee and catching up with the latest music news with this week’s While You Were Away. This week we’re talking about new music from Jack White and Rise Against, plus Blondie’s new box set, and Lamb Of God’s next album and more.
Rise Against Surprise Release New EP ‘Nowhere Generation II’
Surprise! Rise Against recently dropped their new EP, Nowhere Generation II, a companion release to last year’s full-length album Nowhere Generation.
The band also shared the EP’s lead single “Last Man Standing.” Talking about its accompanying music video director Ryan Valdez describes it as “a way of expressing some frustration with our world in regards to exploitation, public alienation and human inequality,” explains director Ryan Valdez. “As you see in the video, we are fed through this race of survival. Only to be taken down, regardless of our success or efforts. Almost as if the game was rigged, designed to set us up for failure.”
Added frontman Tim McIlrath: “I think of Rise Against as dystopian art. Like any good dystopian art endeavor, you’re singing about the world and what it might be like if we keep going down the road we’re going down. It’s the inevitable conclusion of what would happen if we keep making the same decisions. That’s what dystopian art is designed to do, to make you realize that and inspire you to make some changes. ‘Last Man Standing’ is looking down that road and trying to paint a picture of what it looks like.”
Watch the video below. Physical pre-orders can be found here.
Lamb of God announce new album ‘Omens’
Lamb of God have announced their new album, Omens, out October 7th. As a preview of the record, they have shared new lead single “Nevermore.”
“The world is crazy and keeps changing. Omens is a reaction to the state of the world,” said Lamb of God singer Randy Blythe of the upcoming album. “It’s a very pissed-off record … It is extremely pissed-off.”
Pre-order Omens here.
Additionally, Lamb of God will embark on a fall tour in support of the new album with a rotating cast of support acts. Killswitch Engage will join them for the entire tour, while various openers include Baroness, Suicide Silence, Motionless in White, Fit for an Autopsy, Spiritbox, and Animals as Leaders. Check out all the dates here.
Jack White releases new song ‘If I Die Tomorrow’
Jack White gives us a preview of his upcoming album, Entering Heaven Alive, with the new single “If I Die Tomorrow.”
The song’s accompanying video directed by Brantley Gutierrez features White dragging a coffin through fields where he encounters mysterious shrouded figures watching White pass them by.
Listen to the song below.
Entering Heaven Alive comes out July 22nd on Third Man Records. It features previously released singles “Love Is Selfish” and “Queen of the Bees” and is the follow-up to Fear of the Dawn.
Pre-order the album here.
Blondie announce first-ever box set ‘Blondie: Against the Odds 1974 – 1982’
Blondie have announced their first-ever box set, Blondie: Against the Odds 1974 – 1982, out on August 26th via UMe and The Numero Group.
The set features 124 tracks that span that band’s career, including 36 previously unreleased songs. Included are remastered versions of Blondie’s first six albums, along with their first studio sessions, alternate versions, outtakes, and demos. Additionally, the set comes with a huge set of liner notes that includes track-by-track commentary by all seven original members, unpublished photos, and a 120-page illustrated discography.
To preview the collection, Blondie have shared previously unreleased song “Moonlight Drive.” Listen to it below.
Blondie: Against the Odds 1974-1982 is available as 10xLP and 8xCD super deluxe collectors’ edition or 4xLP or 3xCD deluxe. Pre-orders available here.
“It really is a treat to see how far we have come when I listen to these early attempts to capture our ideas on relatively primitive equipment,” said Debbie Harry in a statement. “Fortunately the essence of being in a band in the early 70’s held some of the anti-social, counter culture energies of the groups that were the influencers of the 60’s. I am excited about this special collection. When I listen to these old tracks, it puts me there like I am a time traveler. As bad as it was sometimes, it was also equally as good. No regrets. More music.”
Tours on sale this week
Mad Cool Festival takes place July 6th – July 10th in Madrid, Spain and boosts a stacked lineup with Incubus, Mother Mother, Jack White, Carly Rae Jepsen, Twenty One Pilots, Muse, CHVRCHES, Pixies, Deftones, Placebo, Metallica, and more. Single-day passes are on sale here.
Dead Sara will join Demi Lovato on their HOLY FVCK Tour. Dead Sara hops on board starting September 22nd in Wheatland, California and will play support through November 6th in Irving, Texas. Get details and tickets here.
Todd Rundgren, King Crimson’s Adrian Belew, and other musicians will hit the road this fall for the 2022 “Celebrating David Bowie” tour, which kicks off October 6th in San Diego, California and wraps up November 13th in Phoenix, Arizona. Tickets on sale now.
Fontaines D.C. have announced a fall North American tour that launches September 16th in San Diego, California and wraps up October 6th in Boston, Massachusetts. Buy tickets here.
