As though out of nowhere, Bloc Party are about to return with their fifth studio album, Hymns, having been off on duty with their respective side projects since 2013, when they released their last effort, The Nextwave SessionsĀ EP. It’ll be their first without original band members Matt Tong and Gordon Moakes, who left the band in 2013 and 2015 respectively, but hopefully we won’t lose too much in the balance.
For us, it seems kind of weird that the band has had so many hiatuses, like something was fractured within their dynamic. You’ve only got to look at the fact that both Tong and Moakes left to go their own way to see that something was amiss and that’s been confirmed a number of times by the original band mates in well guarded interviews and announcements that they’ve been involved in.
However, it’s possible that a line has now been drawn under the shadow that has trailed after Bloc Party since the release of their third album, Intimacy, in 2008. While there’s undoubtedly going to be at least some level of musical void without the two former band members, there’s also going to be a fair amount of expectations for what their replacements, Justin Harris on bass guitar and Louise Bartle on drums.
The new album has been confirmed for release on CD, vinyl and digital download on the 29th January 2016, tying in with the Friday launch dates for music we have nowadays. To support the release of Hymns, Block Party will also be heading out on an eight date European tour that takes in Glasgow, Amsterdam, Cologne, Berlin, Paris, Brussels, Manchester and London. The majority of these have already sold out though, with the exception of a small number of tickets left for the Glasgow gig at the O2 ABC and Cologne stop off at the Live music Hall.
The standard release of the album will only be available on CD, including 11 tracks which you can see in the tracklist below. However, they’re also putting out a deluxe, 15-track version, which includes 4 more tracks to listen to. This will be available on deluxe digital download, CD and as standard on the vinyl double LP.
Ahead of the release, Bloc Party already has a single out in The Love Within, which you can listen to in the music video stream below. There’s still the same blend of indie rock and electronica, sounding every bit a continuation from the old order, but equally there’s a bit more of a playful spirit to it all, a bit like Dizzy Rascal, Hot Chip and Daft Punk has been channeled a little in its creation. This comes in the form of a
Though it plods a little at times, it also has a high flying chorus that does a lot to lift the song above its more simplistic framework. Complexity is something that we’re used to from Bloc Party and that seems to be missing on The Love Within, but it usually comes from guitarist Russell Lissack and he’s still very much a part of the band, so hopefully there will be a lot more from him on the rest of Hymns.
Share the details for Bloc Party’s 5th album, Hymns, with:
The Love Within music video:
Hymns tracklist:
1. The Love Within
2. Only He Can Heal Me
3. So Real
4. The Good News
5. Fortress
6. Different Drugs
7. Into The Earth
8. My True Name
9. Virtue
10. Exes
11. Living Lux
Additional deluxe and vinyl tracks:
12. Eden
13. Paradiso
14. New Blood
15. Evening Song
