Ever present while unavailable
My glass half empty
Yours half full
You got me acting irrational
The Charlatans‘ new album, We Are Love, is set to arrive just in time for Halloween…a fitting date for a record tinged with memory, renewal, and spectral significance. Following a busy live schedule that included a 2023 North American co-headline tour with Ride and a 2024 series of anniversary shows celebrating their second album, Between 10th and 11th, the band is back with renewed energy. Eight years have passed since the release of their last album, *Different Days*, in 2017. Their lead single and title track from the forthcoming 14th album, “We Are Love,” showcases this vibrant revival..
From the opening moments, We Are Love is an invigorating collision of post-punk drumbeats and jangly indie rock guitar lines: a love letter to existence itself, spirited and direct. Lyrically, We Are Love reflects a contemplative yet hopeful spirit, navigating themes of uncertainty, the weight of decisions, and contrasting perspectives on life. There’s an enduring optimism in facing darkness, a communal striving for truth and reconciliation amidst chaos. It revels in the complexity of human relationships, celebrating language as a healing force, a bridge across divides, and a gesture toward the profound power of mutual acceptance and love.
Frontman Tim Burgess describes the track, one of the first to materialize for the album, as akin to “an open top car ride in the credits of your favourite movie, driving along the coast to somewhere amazing,” a vivid image that perfectly captures its buoyant optimism. “I think it’s wildly exciting as a track,” Burgess told NME. “I could imagine it being a euphoric, transcendent moment. I think great tracks have that transcendence to them, so that’s what I was looking for.”
“Early on we thought it felt right,” adds guitarist Mark Collins. “And it turned out that way: first single, title track, second song on the album. There was a certain energy to it that drove us forwards.”
Returning to record at Rockfield Studios in Wales for the first time in nearly three decades, The Charlatans confronted echoes of their past, particularly the tragic loss of keyboardist Rob Collins in 1996 during the making of Tellin’ Stories.
“The whole idea of hauntology and psychogeography is represented by us going back to Rockfield,” Burgess remarks. “That was important as a way of honoring every member who’s played in the band. So we’re honouring ourselves, our past, feeling that energy and reincarnating it, doing something fresh, brand new.”
The song comes with a psychedelic lyric visualizer of the band in various photographs.
The production team, including the incisive vision of Dev Hynes (Blood Orange), Fred MacPherson (Spector), and iconic producer Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur), enriches We Are Love with layered nuance and impeccable clarity. The Charlatans sound rejuvenated, gracefully balancing introspection and exuberance without slipping into sentimentality.
Ultimately, We Are Love is The Charlatans reclaiming their vitality, a confident stride forward anchored by respect for their storied past. It’s music that celebrates the immediacy of now, an effervescent affirmation that, even after decades in the game, The Charlatans still have something urgent and meaningful to say.
Listen to We Are Love below and pre-order the album here.
The Charlatans have unfurled plans for a December UK tour, headlining shows in Leeds, Stoke, Bath, London, Manchester and Glasgow.
Tickets go on general sale at 10 am BST on Friday, the 18th of July.
UK Tour Dates:
- 6 December – Leeds, O2 Academy
- 7 December – Stoke, Victoria Hall
- 8 December – Bath, Forum
- 10 December – London, Roundhouse
- 11 December – Manchester, Academy
- 12 December – Glasgow, Barrowland
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