{"id":28576,"date":"2018-03-13T17:15:01","date_gmt":"2018-03-13T21:15:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=28576"},"modified":"2019-05-31T15:52:49","modified_gmt":"2019-05-31T19:52:49","slug":"astral-swans-announces-new-album-featuring-members-of-destroyer-preoccupations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=28576","title":{"rendered":"Astral Swans announces new album"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Calgary&#8217;s Astral Swans\u00a0has\u00a0announced his\u00a0sophomore album, &#8216;Strange Prison,&#8217; with\u00a0its first single and video for\u00a0<em>What Are You Gonna Do With Yourself<\/em>. Watch the video clip via Youtube below.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IqKBmn5-zLI?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-CA&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Astral Swans&#8217; &#8216;Strange Prison&#8217;\u00a0is due out\u00a0May 18th via\u00a0Calgary&#8217;s Saved By Vinyl, Tokyo&#8217;s Moorworks, and Netherlands label Tiny Room Records. Produced by\u00a0Preoccupations&#8217; Scott Munro, Arts &amp; Crafts\u00a0artist\u00a0Dan Mangan, and Paul Chirka\u00a0(recording engineer for the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra),\u00a0and featuring guest musicians such as\u00a0Destroyer&#8217;s\u00a0Dan Gaucher, this\u00a0sonically exploratory and emotionally resonant collection of songs\u00a0focuses\u00a0on the nuances of human existence. Full details can be found\u00a0below.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Astral Swans&#8217; 2015 debut album, &#8216;All My Favourite Singers Are Willie Nelson,&#8217;<em>\u00a0<\/em>released by\u00a0Arts &amp; Crafts\u00a0affiliate label Madic Records, was described by NOISEY\u00a0as <em>&#8220;a stark, beautiful project; one that embraces darkness rather than shying away from it.&#8221;<\/em> On his\u00a0sophomore album, &#8216;Strange Prison,&#8217;\u00a0songwriter\u00a0Matthew Swann continues\u00a0this philosophical searching with both\u00a0morbid humour and compassionate character studies.<\/p>\n<p>After two years of extensive touring throughout North America, performing at house shows and on festivals stages with Hayden, Feist, Angel Olsen, Colin Stetson, and Chad VanGaalen (producer of Swann&#8217;s previous project Extra Happy Ghost!!!), he\u00a0approached\u00a0Preoccupations&#8217;\u00a0Scott Munro\u00a0with a new collection\u00a0of songs. Packed with swooning strings, shimmering keys, and spectral theremin, with guests such as Dan Gaucher (Destroyer, Sandro Perri), Dillon Whitfield (Reuben and The Dark), Rena Kozak (Child Actress), and electronic artist Tigerwing, each song stands alone as a musical world within universal themes of darkness and light.<\/p>\n<p>Lyrically, &#8216;Strange Prison&#8217; recalls &#8217;90s lo-fi indie-rockers Bill Callahan and Cat Power, the fragile intimacy of &#8217;60s folk singers Sibylle Baier and Nick Drake, and the inner world-building of\u00a0Syd Barrett and Daniel Johnston. Swann credits the album&#8217;s expressionistic sound painting with an unexpected inspiration from Sly Stone&#8217;s early &#8217;70s drug-fueled recordings (<em>There&#8217;s a Riot Going On<\/em>, <em>Fresh<\/em>, etc.), which he calls &#8220;masterpieces of weird production where nothing is used properly.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><em>&#8220;These songs are character studies in the complexity of being human,&#8221;<\/em> Swann explains. <em>&#8220;Despite\u00a0dealing with hard themes of pain, alienation, and our limitations, the end objective is finding beauty to transcend the shittiness of the world. My music is personal, but it&#8217;s based on a fundamental belief that humans have more in common than not.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Astral Swans&#8217; &#8216;Strange Prison&#8217; will be released\u00a0on\u00a0May 18th via Saved By Vinyl,<br \/>\nMoorworks, and Tiny Room Records. It&#8217;s now available to <a href=\"https:\/\/hivemindpr.us10.list-manage.com\/track\/click?u=04780c244c226dd8f0096243b&amp;id=a5814b234a&amp;e=998dd35436\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pre-order here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"mcnImage\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gallery.mailchimp.com\/04780c244c226dd8f0096243b\/images\/4bee21cc-1c69-47c6-a26b-353f6ac95f34.jpeg?w=564&#038;ssl=1\"  align=\"center\" \/>&#8216;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Astral Swans &#8211; &#8216;Strange Prison&#8217; tracklisting<\/strong><br \/>\n1. Blow Away<br \/>\n2. Controls<br \/>\n3. What Are You Gonna Do With Yourself<br \/>\n4. Prison Builder<br \/>\n5. General Rule<br \/>\n6. The Kids Came By And Burned Down The Scene<br \/>\n7. Strange Prison<br \/>\n8. Free Yourself From All Harm<br \/>\n9. I Belong<br \/>\n10. Excess<br \/>\n11. Sew Their Mouths<br \/>\n12. I Wanna See Something Burn<br \/>\n13. End Song<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Calgary&#8217;s Astral Swans\u00a0has\u00a0announced his\u00a0sophomore album, &#8216;Strange Prison,&#8217; with\u00a0its first single and video for\u00a0What Are You Gonna Do With Yourself. Watch the video clip via Youtube <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=28576\" title=\"Astral Swans announces new album\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28577,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[28],"tags":[7304,7305,7306],"class_list":["post-28576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-astral-swans","tag-strange-prison","tag-what-are-you-gonna-do-with-yourself"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/13e4cde9-4952-45e1-bd6e-faced857cf03.jpg?fit=1024%2C902&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2B2TV-7qU","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12218,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=12218","url_meta":{"origin":28576,"position":0},"title":"Hayden shares new single + announces latest album","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"January 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Toronto's Hayden with release his 8th album\u00a0entitled 'Hey Love' on March 24 via\u00a0Arts & Crafts. Take a listen to the initial single, Nowhere We Cannot Go via Soundcloud below. From the arresting low register of his 1996 arrival, 'Everything I Long For,' through the enigmatic 'Skyscraper National Park' (2001), and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Canada&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Canada","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=206"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Hayden-Hey_Love-Christie_Greyerbiehl.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Hayden-Hey_Love-Christie_Greyerbiehl.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Hayden-Hey_Love-Christie_Greyerbiehl.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Hayden-Hey_Love-Christie_Greyerbiehl.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Hayden-Hey_Love-Christie_Greyerbiehl.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":41546,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=41546","url_meta":{"origin":28576,"position":1},"title":"Swans announce North American tour","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"March 23, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Swans are back with their seventeenth studio album, \u2018Birthing,\u2019 arriving May 30 via Young God Records\/Mute. And now, they\u2019re bringing it to life on stage with their first North American tour in support of the highly anticipated release. Kicking off on September 4 in Philadelphia, this run promises to be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;guitar rock&quot;","block_context":{"text":"guitar rock","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"Swans press photo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4050.jpeg?fit=1200%2C702&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4050.jpeg?fit=1200%2C702&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4050.jpeg?fit=1200%2C702&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4050.jpeg?fit=1200%2C702&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_4050.jpeg?fit=1200%2C702&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":33283,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=33283","url_meta":{"origin":28576,"position":2},"title":"Human Impact share \u2018E605\u2019 video","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"January 24, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Human Impact have released a video for E605. The Samuel Mitchell-directed clip visually echoes the gritty, industrial-tinged noise rock on the band\u2019s forthcoming, self-titled debut album (March 13 via Ipecac Recordings). Watch it via YouTube below. https:\/\/youtu.be\/3ZW5FHzF-Wc E605 is the second song lifted from the 10-track release, with the band\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;guitar rock&quot;","block_context":{"text":"guitar rock","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"Human Impact press photo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/2262F699-EFE9-43C1-BDED-D8D06B54F17D-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/2262F699-EFE9-43C1-BDED-D8D06B54F17D-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/2262F699-EFE9-43C1-BDED-D8D06B54F17D-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/2262F699-EFE9-43C1-BDED-D8D06B54F17D-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/2262F699-EFE9-43C1-BDED-D8D06B54F17D-scaled.jpeg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":34734,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=34734","url_meta":{"origin":28576,"position":3},"title":"SWANS \u2018Where Does A Body End?\u2019 doc coming to DVD and Blu-ray","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"August 5, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"SWANS \u2018Where Does A Body End?\u2019 is coming to DVD, Blu-ray, and Deluxe Blu-ray\u00a0on September 11th. You can pre-order it here. \"There really is no other force of music like Swans. Swans stand alone, integral, drenched in pathos. A band to end all bands.\"\u00a0- Thurston Moore \u2018Where Does a Body\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;documentary&quot;","block_context":{"text":"documentary","link":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?cat=11"},"img":{"alt_text":"Michael Gira SWANS Where Does A Body End? Still","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/16950C43-23E7-4FD7-9469-73AC06B1225F.jpeg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/16950C43-23E7-4FD7-9469-73AC06B1225F.jpeg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/16950C43-23E7-4FD7-9469-73AC06B1225F.jpeg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/16950C43-23E7-4FD7-9469-73AC06B1225F.jpeg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cultureaddicts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/16950C43-23E7-4FD7-9469-73AC06B1225F.jpeg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":42224,"url":"https:\/\/cultureaddicts.com\/?p=42224","url_meta":{"origin":28576,"position":4},"title":"Final roar: Swans announce \u2018Birthing\u2019 tour across Europe, UK &amp; North America","author":"cultureaddicts","date":"April 30, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Get ready, Swans fans\u2014your favourite sonic adventurers are hitting Europe and the UK this fall to celebrate their seventeenth studio album, \u2018Birthing,\u2019 which lands May 30 via Young God Records\/Mute. 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