Glaswegian indie-pop legends, Belle And Sebastian returned with their ninth studio album, Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance, in January 2015, following up on their last new material release, Belle And Sebastian Write About Love back in 2010. From listening to the previews, it was clear that the album looked set to take the band in new directions, and that’s exactly what it did, bringing in a little more variety in their indie pop mix, but with more than enough of their much-loved, unique sound to keep die hard fans dancing.
Take a listen to their new single The Party Line with the music video below to get a sense of what to expect on Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance for yourself and let us know what you think. It’s a cool upbeat 80s pop track that’s made for party shapes with the political double meaning that’s shot through the titles in the track list for the record. The synth melodies are class, so it’s looking like the new tack is going to be another hit release from them.
The album has been confirmed for a slightly confusing release date of either the 19th or 20th January 2015, which first made us think that this might have less to do with indecision over which date to go for and more to do with having a slightly split release date for download and CD/vinyl copies. However, our research would imply that both the digital download and the hard copies will be available to buy from the 19th in the UK, but US fans will have to wait until the 20th to buy the CD or 2x LP gatefold vinyl, but they do come with a set of 5 Belle And Sebastian pins for pre-order copies..
The iTunes release comes with an extra couple of pre-order bonus tracks in Piggy and A Politician’s Silence, while the CD’s are bundled up with a 24 page booklet, that no amount of digital downloading can replace. There’s also a a limited edition, quadruple vinyl LP in lidded box with download voucher and poster available too, which features two extended mixes and four bonus tracks (including the two iTunes pre-order bonuses and two that are exclusive to the box set).
It might look like Belle And Sebastian have been AWOL for a while with such a long gap between new material, but the four and a half year intermission was actually split last year with the release of their second compilation album, The Third Eye Centre, which saw them package up and release B-sides and rare recordings that hadn’t made it onto a studio album previously. However, it looks like they’re well and truly back on the music scene with the new album and a series of UK tour dates to accompany the release. Read our Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance review to find out more about how the record turned out.
The tour dates will see them taking their new material all around the world, calling in on Australia, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, Canada, USA and Iceland along the way. They’ll be starting off their UK leg of the tour in May 2015, starting out at Cardiff’s St David’s Hall on the 3rd before closing it out at Liverpool’s Sound City on the 24th. Details for all of their 2015 tour dates are below.
Track list:
1. Nobody’s Empire
2. Allie
3. The Party Line
4. The Power Of Three
5. The Cat With The Cream
6. Enter Sylvia Plath
7. The Everlasting Muse
8. Perfect Couples
9. Ever Had A Little Faith?
10. Play For Today
11. The Book Of You
12. Today (This Army’s For Peace)
Share the Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance release details with:
The Party Line single music video:
Belle And Sebastian 2015 tour dates:
January 2015
26th – Auckland Laneway Festival, New Zealand
29th – Sydney, Enmore Theatre
31st – Australia, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
February 2015
1st – Melbourne, Palais Theatre
3rd – Australia, Perth, Astor Theatre
10th – Hong Kong, Asia World Arena, China
12th – S.Korea, Seoul, AX Club
16th – Hostess Club Taipei, Legacy, Taipei, Taiwan
21st – Japan, Tokyo, Hostess Club
March 2015
30th – USA, Cambridge, House of Blues
April 2015
1st – Canada, Toronto, Massey Hall
2nd – USA, Royal Oak Music Theatre, Royal Oak
3rd – USA, Riviera, Chicago
May 2015
3rd – UK, Cardiff, St David’s Hall
4th – UK, Bristol, Colston Hall
7th – UK, Cambridge, Corn Exchange
8th – UK, Norwich, Open
10th – UK, Birmingham, Symphony Hall
11th – UK, London, Central Hall
12th – UK, London, Central Hall
14th – UK, Manchester, Albert Hall
15th – UK, Manchester, Albert Hall
16th – UK, Newcastle City Hall
18th – UK, Buxton, Opera House
19th – UK, Leeds, Town Hall
22nd – Glasgow Hydro Arena with the Scottish Festival Orchestra
24th – UK, Sound City, Liverpool
June 2015
10th – New York, Radio City Music Hall
July 2015
2nd – KEFLAVIK, ATP Iceland (July 2-5th)
Belle And Sebastian, Girls In Peacetime Want To Dance delux box set album artwork:
