Gogol Bordello have released “Ignition,” the third single from their upcoming album ‘We Mean It, Man!’, out February 13 via Casa Gogol Records. The track is a post-punk anthem about lifelong friendship, rooted in the groove of Gogol Bordello’s 2023 collaboration with Bernard Sumner of New Order and Joy Division, and the music video stars Liev Schreiber. The two met when Schreiber cast Eugene Hutz in his 2005 directorial debut ‘Everything Is Illuminated’, and the friendship has held ever since. Schreiber later executive produced the Vice documentary ‘Scream of My Blood: A Gogol Bordello Story’, and the pair have aligned both creatively and politically, most recently partnering with UNITED24 at Veselka.
Hutz puts it directly: “‘Ignition’ is about the hardest currency there is: lifelong friendships and trust, the people who will come pull you out of a ditch at 5 a.m. I didn’t want musicians’ faulty acting to obscure that, so I called my friend Liev, who is exactly the kind of actor who embodies it effortlessly and powerfully, because he’s exactly that kind of person.” Schreiber returns the sentiment, calling Hutz “my brother from another mother, ridiculously insane with the heart, mind, and voice of a poet.” With the 20th anniversary of ‘Everything Is Illuminated’ as backdrop, the video lands as a genuine celebration. ‘We Mean It, Man!’ was produced by Nick Launay (Nick Cave, Gang of Four, Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and Adam “Atom” Greenspan (Amyl & The Sniffers, IDLES), and follows previously released singles “We Mean It, Man!” and “Hater Liquidator.” The North American tour is already underway, with a homecoming show at New York’s Knockdown Center on March 27.