The Twilight SAD have announced their long-awaited sixth album ‘It’s The Long Goodbye,’ due March 27 via Rock Action Records, and have shared new single “Designed To Lose,” the second track on the record. A beautifully meditative yet muscular reflection on the human condition, the song hinges on how we can seem doomed to lose in so many of our endeavours, including our capacity to cope with loss itself. It follows lead track “Waiting For The Phone Call,” released last October, and together the two singles frame one of the most anticipated post-punk records in years.
The album is the most personal work the band has made. Singer and lyricist James Graham is direct about what drove it: “In the past I’ve used a lot of metaphors within my lyrics. With this, there’s not as much. The record is heavily influenced by my mental health, grief and loss, and the need to be strong in positions where you’re not feeling it. It’s a very human story, I think, this is just my version of it. I feel that everybody goes through something like this. Everybody loses somebody. Everybody questions life.” The record reflects on his mother’s illness, her subsequent death, and his own mental health struggles, developed over seven years with guitarist Andy MacFarlane stockpiling musical ideas during lockdown while exchanging words and sounds with Graham. The Cure’s Robert Smith, a longtime close friend of the band, provided input on the demos and guests on the record, supplying extra guitars on “Waiting For The Phone Call,” guitars and Tron keys on “Dead Flowers,” and six-string bass on “Back To Fourteen.” The album was produced by MacFarlane at London’s Battery Studios, with additional production from Andy Savours (My Bloody Valentine) and mixing by Chris Coady (Slowdive), with David Jeans (Arab Strap) on drums and Alex Mackay (Mogwai live) on bass.
Graham frames the album’s purpose with characteristic openness: “I want to be a relatable person that talks about things that can happen and give an opportunity for people to go, well, you’re not alone. I want people to be able to listen to this record and hear that it comes from a place of raw emotion.” The Twilight SAD head out on an extensive headline tour across Europe and the UK in April and May, including two nights at Glasgow Barrowlands and a performance at the Roundhouse in London, followed by dates as special guests to The Cure in June and July, including festival appearances at Pohoda Festival and Deer Shed Festival.
‘It’s The Long Goodbye’ Track Listing:
- Get Away From It All
- Designed To Lose
- Attempt A Crash Landing – Theme
- Waiting For The Phone Call
- The Ceiling Underground
- Dead Flowers
- Inhospitable/Hospital
- Chest Wound To The Chest
- Back To Fourteen
- TV People Still Throwing TVs At People
The Twilight SAD Tour Dates:
April 12 – Milan, Italy – Legend Club
April 14 – Zurich, Switzerland – Bogen F
April 15 – Munich, Germany – Ampere
April 16 – Berlin, Germany – Gretchen
April 18 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Loppen
April 19 – Oslo, Norway – Parkteateret
April 20 – Stockholm, Sweden – Slaktkyrkan
April 22 – Hamburg, Germany – Grünspan
April 23 – Utrecht, Netherlands – Tivolivredenburg Pandora Hall
April 25 – Cologne, Germany – Gebäude 9
April 26 – Brussels, Belgium – Rotonde – Botanique
April 27 – Paris, France – Le Trabendo
April 29 – Bristol, UK – Electric Bristol
April 30 – London, UK – Roundhouse
May 2 – Manchester, UK – New Century Hall
May 3 – Newcastle upon Tyne, UK – Boiler Shop
May 5 – Glasgow, Scotland – Barrowlands
May 6 – Glasgow, Scotland – Barrowlands
May 9 – Dublin, Ireland – Button Factory
With The Cure + Festival Appearances:
June 14 – Firenze, Italy – Visarno Arena
June 24 – Cardiff – Blackweir Fields
June 26 – Dublin – Marley Park
June 28 – Belfast – Belsonic
July 8 – Slovakia – Pohoda Festival
July 10 – Berlin, Germany – Wuhlheide
July 11 – Berlin, Germany – Wuhlheide
July 12 – Berlin, Germany – Wuhlheide
July 24-26 – Topcliffe – Deer Shed Festival