LCD Soundsystem fans everywhere were devastated when the NYC dance group split up in 2011 and ecstatic when they announced their reunion at the start of 2016. With a new record deal inked with Columbia, a new album is definitely on the horizon. But when is it out and what can we expect from it? Here’s everything we know so far…
When will we get a new LCD Soundsystem album?
The statement James Murphy put out on Facebook after their reunion was announced in January said the record would out this year, but that now seems unlikely. While there’s no official release date as yet, the fact the band are reported to be in the studio towards the end of the year suggests it won’t be out until at least summer 2017.
What will it sound like?
Murphy has remained silent on what the new music sounds like and what has been influencing him, while the band have yet to play any new material at gigs so far.
Have we seen the artwork?
No artwork has been released as yet.
What’s it called?
No title has been confirmed as yet.
What has James Murphy been doing since the band split?
Murphy didn’t slow down after breaking up the band – if anything, he got busier. He designed Despacio with 2ManyDJs and engineer John Klett, a project that featured speakers stacked up to eleven feet and whose aim was to go against the “spectacle” nature of what dance gigs had become.
He also revealed plans to try and change the sound the turnstiles of the New York subway make with new, nicer sounds dubbed the Subway Symphony. Murphy wanted each turnstile to harmonise with each other by emitting a sequence between three and five notes long and hoped it would happen during proposed renovations on the transport system. However, the MTA have said it is not possible because the beep used now is necessary under the Americans With Disabilities Act.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=045gRD7b8bI
The LCD leader has also collaborated with Arcade Fire, having produced their fourth album ‘Reflektor’. He also recorded ‘DoYaThing’ with Gorillaz and Andre 3000 for Converse, and released ‘After You’ with Pulp at Christmas 2012. He is also credited as a producer on Yeah Yeah Yeahs‘ third album ‘Mosquito’, and composed the score for Noah Baumbach’s 2015 film While We’re Young.
Murphy was reportedly due to act as a producer on sessions for David Bowie‘s final album, ‘Blackstar’. Those plans fell through, however he is listed in the album credits as a percussionist on the record. He also remixed the track ‘Love Is Lost’ from the album ‘The Next Day’ for an extended release.
In 2014, he “remixed” matches from the US Open. Murphy created an algorithm that generated pieces from things like a fault, point or ace when the matches were happening. He then created 14 remixes out of his favourite pieces and titled them by their match number.
Outside of music, Murphy directed the short film Little Duck for Canon’s Project Imaginati10n. The film was set in Japan and focuses on a young man who travels from Manhattan to help his brother with some problems he is facing. The musician also launched a coffee with company Blue Bottle. His signature coffee is described as a “syrupy, well-balanced and thoroughly accessible” espresso. In 2015, he opened a wine bar in Williamsburg called Four Horsemen, which serves a range of red, white and orange wines.
Are they touring this year?
The group have three upcoming dates at the time of writing. They will headline III Points festival in Miami, Florida (October 7), Austin City Limits festival in Austin, Texas (October 9), and Corona Capital festival in Mexico City (November 19-20). However, the band’s tour of Asia and Australia have been cancelled, as has the festival co-curated by the band that was due to take place in Mexico next January. The former were called off due to “studio scheduling conflicts related to their new album”, while Beach Vibes festival “was not coming together in the way that it was envisioned”.