The Lumineers have posted the first single from their second album, entitled ‘Ophelia’.
Lead singer Wesley Schultz told iHeart Radio about the album, which he says is the sum of the time that’s passed since their hit self-titled debut:
“The record is our greatest hits reflecting what’s happened to us over the last three years. We tried to come up with the best possible version of every song, so we recorded a lot of different iterations, changing the tempos, dressing ’em up, stripping ‘em down,” he said.
“It took a lot of work to make them sound so easy. We’re very passionate about the process. It was a very intense and beautiful experience. There was a lot of battling, a lot of tears, but some amazing stuff came out, and at the end, we were much better off. It transformed our relationship.”
The Lumineers new album ‘Cleopatra’ is due on April 8, and available for pre-order via iTunes, with an instant download of the single included.
Listen to Ophelia via iHeartRadio, below:
Since the release of the debut album, Schultz has also been involved in writing ‘The Hanging Tree’, which features in The Hunger Games and contains vocals from the film’s star Jennifer Lawrence. Schultz has said he’s inspired by “Cinematic music and anything strange and weird.”
The new album will be followed by a UK and Ireland tour, featuring the following dates, ahead of shows across mainland Europe and the US:
Academy, Bristol (April 14)
Barrowlands, Glasgow (15)
Olympia Theatre, Dublin (18)
Albert Hall, Manchester (19)
Shephard’s Bush Empire, London (23)